During The Presidency Of Attorney General Josh Hawley, He Was Ordered To Pay $242,000 For Violations Of The Disclosure Act

Hawley, a Republican, was accused of withdrawing documents from the Democratic campaign committee while he was running for the Senate in 2018.

Josh Hawley ( Photo: ABC17NEWS )

Beetem ruled Wednesday that the office must pay $242,000 in legal fees

District Judge Jon Beetem said in November 2022 that the Attorney General’s Office violated the Open Records Act when documents were seized by the Democratic Election Commission during Republican Hawley’s victory in the 2018 Senate election. Mark Pedroli who represents the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee said on Twitter: “A huge win for transparency fair elections and the rule of law. Hawley spokesman Kyle Plotkin responded that Democrats should return the money and apologize to Missourians for continuing the lawsuit after the requested documents were released.

Democrats searched records of interactions between Mr. Hawley’s political adviser OnMessage Inc, and staff at the attorney general’s office

By failing to present the requested documents, Mr. Hartman and the AGO prevented an opposition party committee from accessing documents potentially damaging to the Attorney General’s political campaign, Beetem wrote. Republicans investigated the complaint and found no wrongdoing by the Hawley campaign.

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