Missouri Democrat Nicole Galloway Accused of Misusing Taxpayer Funds to Advance Political Career

Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway speaks to reporters Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, at her office
AP Photo/David A. Lieb
Sean Moran

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway, who is running for governor, is accused of potentially misusing Missourians’ taxpayer dollars to her advance her political career.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board criticized Galloway in February for using her taxpayer-funded staff to advance her political goals as she was conducting an audit for then-Attorney General and now-Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). The Post-Dispatch noted that Steph Deidrick, Galloway’s press secretary, emailed an op-ed to the Post-Dispatch to attack Gov. Mike Paron’s decision to impose restrictions on administering abortions.

However, the St. Louis paper then realized that the op-ed regarding abortion had “nothing” to do with Galloway’s position as state auditor.

“In fact, the topic has nothing to do with those duties but everything to do with Galloway’s effort to position herself on a key political issue just before announcing her gubernatorial campaign against Parson,” the Post-Dispatch wrote.

The paper continued:

The Galloway campaign’s Twitter account posts a link to that op-ed. Why did Galloway assign a state employee to use a state office and state email account for what was clearly a personal political mission? It might not be illegal, but it certainly doesn’t pass the smell test. Nor is it consistent with the laudably high standards Galloway sets when auditing other government offices and officials.

When Galloway announced her campaign to oust Republican governor Parson, she touted her “corruption fighting bona fides.”
However, it appears that Galloway may have used her taxpayer-funded office to advance her political career, which includes running for governor.
Breitbart News obtained Galloways’ official schedule, which revealed that she met with Moms Demand Action, a pro-gun control group, on February 18, 2020. Galloway’s meeting with Moms Demands Action raises questions as to what the pro-gun control group has to do with her official capacity as the state’s auditor.

Then in April, Moms Demand Action backed her candidacy for governor. She said:

Missouri has one of the highest rates of gun deaths per year and some of the weakest gun laws in the country. I’m committed to fighting for common-sense gun safety laws to keep our communities safe. I’m proud to have a 2020 @MomsDemand Gun Sense Candidate distinction.

Breitbart News also obtained a Galloway Victory Fund fundraiser with Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, on August 12 for Galloway’s gubernatorial campaign.
Now, Galloway is accused of potentially violating the same Missouri law that she claimed Hawley violated when he was the attorney general of Missouri. Galloway audited Hawley’s potential misuse of the office of the attorney general. Missouri law bars the use of taxpayer resources for personal or political purposes.
Missouri law states:

115.646. No contribution or expenditure of public funds shall be made directly by any officer, employee or agent of any political subdivision to advocate, support, or oppose any ballot measure or candidate for public office. This section shall not be construed to prohibit any public official of a political subdivision from making public appearances or from issuing press releases concerning any such ballot measure.

John Hancock, the chairman of Uniting Missouri PAC, told Breitbart News in an exclusive statement that Galloway has misused taxpayer resources, and that she may have even violated Missouri law.

“It’s deeply troubling that Auditor Galloway continues to misuse taxpayer funds to advance her political career. She has failed to meet the high standards she sets for the subjects of her audits, and she may have even violated the law.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.