Missouri GOP Gov Blunt breaks law, fires lawyer who warned him

[usregimechange]

By Jo Mannies
POST-DISPATCH POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
10/28/2007

A former lawyer in Gov. Matt Blunt's office says he was fired last month after he raised questions about how the governor's staff was handling office e-mails and public records requests.

Scott Eckersley's dismissal came at a time when the governor and his staff were under fire for saying e-mails on state computers were not necessarily public records. They also acknowledged that office e-mails were being routinely deleted.

The stance seemed to contradict Missouri law, which requires that many state government communications, paper or electronic, be stored for up to three years. Legal experts say e-mails are a vital record of how government decisions are made.

Eckersley, Blunt's former deputy counsel, said in an interview Saturday that he had researched state law and emphasized verbally and in e-mails to Blunt's staff that the governor's office had a written policy specifying how electronic messages and other public records were to be saved.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/5E2B795CA47B11208625738200119A7C?OpenDocument

:wow:

[OzarkDem]

1. Will Nixon go after him?

the GOP can't stop an investigation, can they?

[usregimechange]

2. I don't know but that gives me an opportunity to post this:

http://www.jaynixon.com/

[usregimechange]

3. more

http://www.firedupmissouri.com/system/files/Blunt%27s+Emails++10-30-07.jpg

Good recap here:
In early September, Tony Messenger, editorial page editor of the Springfield News-Leader, filed a Sunshine Law request for copies of e-mails written by Ed Martin, the governor's chief of staff, during the week of Aug. 20. Mr. Messenger had obtained a copy of an e-mail sent on Mr. Martin's state government account soliciting help from a pro-life group in trying to get Attorney General Jay Nixon removed as the state's lawyer in defending a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood.

Mr. Martin claimed that he had deleted the messages from his computer and that no back-up copies existed. In today's business world, such a claim simply is not credible.

Reporters then began asking questions about the state's policies regarding the retention of state documents. On Sept. 18, Mr. Blunt told Jo Mannies of the Post-Dispatch that e-mails were public records but that he was unaware of any policy about retaining them in his office. Ms. Mannies' story was published Sept. 19.

Enter Scott Eckersley, an idealistic 30-year-old Republican and, at the time, deputy counsel to the governor. He says that on Sept. 20 and 21, he repeatedly told fellow staff members in the governor's office, orally and through e-mail, that there was, indeed, a written retention policy. Three days later, he learned via a Democratic-aligned website that he'd been fired. Two days after that, he met with Mr. Martin, who made accusations about Mr. Eckersley's personal and professional behavior.

...

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/emaf.nsf/Popup?ReadForm&db=stltoday%5Cnews%5Cstories.nsf&docid=AC6B17042DE1E96086257385000476E6

[Missourian]

4. YouTube Video

Here is the video I did on Blunt and Crazy Ed Martin...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhwJ8XgddHg

This story has legs. I may have to do another video.

[jbm]

5. Welcome to DU!

and that's a great first post. I loved the video. I'm glad you joined us.

[Missourian]

6. Thanks

I've been a lurker around here for a while and finally decided to post.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. That is great!

You should post it in the political video forum.

Welcome to DU! :hi: