JEFFERSON CITY • A panel of state election regulators Tuesday dismissed a complaint Tuesday alleging illegal ties between Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens and an independent political action committee.

The decision by the Missouri Ethics Commission came after June reports alleged LG PAC and Greitens had coordinated a nearly $1 million ad buy targeted at businessman John Brunner, one of Greitens’ rivals in the four-way Republican primary.

Speculation that there was coordination between the two came after LG PAC treasurer Richard Monsees and Greitens were recorded chatting together at a political event.

LG PAC is set up as federal “527” PAC, which makes it more difficult to determine who is funding the PAC. But such entities are under a different kind of restriction: They're not allowed to coordinate ads or other campaign activities with any candidate.

Monsees strongly denied the allegations in June and the MEC, meeting via a telephone conference call Tuesday, agreed, said MEC Executive Director James Klahr.

Klahr said the panel could find "no reasonable grounds" to pursue the complaint.

In June, Monsees said LG PAC is not supporting any of the four Republican candidates for governor.

“As conservative Republicans, LG PAC's singular focus is helping to ensure that we elect a conservative that can win in November,” he wrote.

Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, will face off in November against Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster.

Election 2016 from St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Stay in the race. Get our free political newsletter featuring local and national updates and analysis.

This field is required.

Sign Up!

leave this blank

?Kurt Erickson • 573-556-6181

@KurtEricksonPD on Twitter

kerickson@post-dispatch.com

———

©2016 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

0
0
0
0
0

(0 Ratings)