By Antonio D. French
Filed Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 1:11 PM
Press Release from Gov. Matt Blunt's office... Labels: Governor's_Race, Press_Releases
Comparing the actions of Attorney General Jay Nixon to a traffic cop that coerces money from a speeding motorist, Gov. Matt Blunt’s Chief of Staff Ed Martin today said he will testify Wednesday before the Public Service Commission (PSC) despite objections from Nixon. Martin plans to reveal information he received in private about the nearly $20,000 Nixon’s office sought and received from Ameren after Nixon became the criminal investigator in the Ameren Taum Sauk disaster case.
“Anybody knows that law enforcement cannot take money or gifts from suspects or investigative targets,” Martin wrote in a letter to Nixon. “Everyone knows it is wrong for a police officer or deputy to take money at a traffic stop. Everyone knows a prosecutor must not seek money or gifts from a target or defendant.”
Ameren is currently seeking a rate increase for their customers in hearings before the Public Service Commission. Last year, at the request of the Attorney General’s political office, Ameren funneled nearly $20,000 in campaign cash to Nixon through four Democrat Committees after he became the criminal prosecutor in the Taum Sauk disaster case. For more than a year, Nixon denied his involvement in the request for Ameren funds, but this month Ameren revealed that it was Nixon’s office that requested the money even though Nixon was conducting a criminal investigation into the utility company.
Last week, Office of Administration Chief Counsel Rich AuBuchon asked the Attorney General’s Office to take all necessary actions to recognize Martin as a witness to provide testimony to the PSC. When the Attorney General’s office failed to comply with the request, the Administration worked directly with the PSC to allow Martin’s testimony.
Martin said his testimony will show how Nixon’s actions are hurting Ameren ratepayers.
“The Taum Sauk settlement and rebuild are worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” Martin wrote in a letter to Nixon. “The Ameren rate case could cost hundreds of millions more. Put simply, once you asked for and received Ameren’s money, you lost the ability to be trusted as Ameren’s legal adversary. An officer of the law who takes money at a traffic stop will lose the public’s good opinion. It only makes the matter worse if the officer refuses to account for himself. Therefore, I respectfully request that you recuse yourself from any and all dealings with Ameren. This includes the Taum Sauk case and the Ameren rate case.”
Click here to download Martin's letter.
3 Comments:
Ed Martin's culminating sentence says it all.
"After you rescue yourself from all dealings with ameren..."
I due believe that when lawyers have a conflict of interest in a case they RECUSE themselves.
Paramedics RESCUE
Lawyers RECUSE
3/27/2007 3:18 PM
If there is one thing i have learned in my lifetime, it is to trust the words and motives of republican staff members.
They are uniformly dedicated to telling the public the truth, from the president on down.
3/27/2007 5:00 PM
Antonio----
what is the story on this Lyell Champagne?
channel 4 interviewed him---was not clear just who he represents.
3/27/2007 7:59 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home