Missouri Dem Attorney General Returns Donations From Utility He Was Investigating

The Missouri Attorney General has a problem and it's a "BIG" problem. Jay Nixon, the AG for Missouri and a democrat who is planning to run against sitting Governor Matt Blunt (Rep) in 2008, took $19,100 from Ameren UE, the utility company that he and his office is investigating over a major dam failure and disaster and actually were in the negotiation stage at the time of the donations per the KC Star:

At the time the donations were made, Nixon’s office was negotiating with Ameren over damages caused by collapse of the Taum Sauk reservoir. The reservoir collapse devastated the Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park and injured the park superintendent and his family....................

The $19,100 donation from Ameren UE made it's way to Nixon's campaign coffers via four "seldom used democratic committees" in STL, per the Star:

The controversy stems from four contributions of $5,000 each that Ameren Corp. made from January through March to four little-used Democratic political committees in the St. Louis area. Ameren is Missouri’s largest power company. On March 31, three of those committees — the 77th State Representative District Democratic Committee, the 73rd District Democratic Legislative Committee and the 24th Senatorial Democratic Committee — each donated $4,800 to Nixon. The fourth — the Democratic Central Committee of Lincoln County — donated $4,700 to Nixon..................

So the question now is did Nixon know the donation came from the utility company he was investigating for a major and significant failure? If he knew the money was from Ameren then not only is his Governorship bid in 2008 over, so is his service as Attorney General. I'm not aware of whether there could be criminal issues with such a donation knowingly being accepted, but it seems there should be. I'm sure that those who understand the Missouri law related to such a matter will begin to inform us on that aspect in the coming days, and I'm looking to see what I can find on that point as well. I'd be astonished if there were no laws preventing an AG from knowingly accepting campaign contributions from a company or individual that they were assigned to prosecute for a crime..............There has to be a law against that...............

Per the KC Star, Nixon had absolute power and the "only" say on whether Ameren would be prosecuted:

At the time the donations were made, Nixon’s office was negotiating with Ameren over damages caused by collapse of the Taum Sauk reservoir. The reservoir collapse devastated the Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park and injured the park superintendent and his family. Federal investigators said in a recent report that Ameren knew of critical problems at Taum Sauk and delayed repairs that could have prevented the collapse. Nixon was assigned as special prosecutor in the case and is the only authority who could press criminal charges against Ameren or file a lawsuit on behalf of the state.

Even if Nixon was unaware of the contributions coming from Ameren (which I believe disclosure is required but that clarification also will be disclosed in the coming days and I'm researching that point as well), then the question becomes who in the Missouri Democratic party did the dirty work of funneling the Ameren money to Nixon via these committee funds? They knew where the money came from and what Nixon was doing with Ameren...........Lots to learn about those involved in funneling this money..............

This is a huge & major development for all Democratic candidates and Dem politicians in Missouri and it's all very bad. Given the steady recent drip of corruption related revelations associated with the Dems the past few weeks, I don't think that there could be a worse story than an Dem Attorney General taking money from a major utility company that the AG is investigating for an awful failure that has harmed the state seriously.................Gas & energy prices are one of the top issues on the voters minds and they are very angry about it and you have an AG taking money from a utility that they are investigating???? This looks like one explosive and very dirty-nasty development that could be a Dem party killer in MO beyond 2006 & 2008...........................Stay tuned this one has serious legs.................

--------Update----------------------------

mogop has a post up here)

He should’ve refunded them promptly when they were uncovered. Instead he insisted initially that Ameren’s donations would not influence his investigation. This one was a no-brainer. Prime-time Nixon? Time to pick up the pace, general,” the Kansas City Star’s Steve Kraske said. Meanwhile, Tony Messenger at the Springfield News-Leader weighed in with this: “The attorney general is stuck in an ethical quagmire of his own. The same attorney general who recently called on Gov. Matt Blunt to veto a new campaign finance law because of donation loopholes is benefiting (sic) from the loopholes that exist in the current law.” Jay Nixon’s arrogance has at long last been exposed by the media and it’s likely this won’t be the last time.......

Insisting that the donations would not influence the AG? Is he serious?..........Not buying it Nixon........................

------------------Update---------------------------

The Missouri Republican State Committee has filed an ethics complaint over Nixon's acceptance of Ameren political donations, per the News Tribune:

The ethics complaint says Nixon illegally concealed campaign donations. The complaint names Nixon and the treasurers of the four campaign committees as violating state ethics laws. “Somebody made all this happen,” said Jared Craighead, executive director of the Republican state committee.............

Craighead is right, "somebody" did make this all happen and we need to know exactly who made it happen and what Nixon knew and when he knew it...................

-----------------update---------------------------

Nixon is not going to recuse himself in the Ameren investigation at this point although the DNR Director Doyle Childers has asked him to, via the Post:

Nixon's attorney Edward Ardini sent a prompt reply to Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers, insisting Nixon will continue the Taum Sauk investigation and accusing Childers' boss, Gov. Matt Blunt, of also having close ties to Ameren..............

Nixon's defense for taking money from Ameren while he is investigating them? Gov Blunt's "brother" is a lobbyist for Ameren..............So what, he works for the utility as he is free to do..............he nor the Governor are the State Attorney General investigating them............a total unrelated attempt to deflect the attention on this very serious matter that resides with Nixon............

Childer's summed it up best:

"The governor is not my attorney," Childers said, noting that Nixon is pursuing Ameren on behalf of the state. "I am deeply resentful for having my attorney take money from my adversary, and I think it's a very serious ethical issue." ................

Indeed.................................