JEFFERSON CITY — A conservative group has filed an ethics complaint against the political action committee supporting Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe in his campaign for governor.
An official with Freedom Principle MO — which is members of the hard-right Missouri Freedom Caucus — said the group mailed its complaint to the Missouri Ethics Commission on Tuesday.
In it, Freedom Principle MO accuses Kehoe’s American Dream PAC of “improperly and deceptively” inflating fundraising numbers.
The complaint points to a $250,000 donation by SNK Real Property Holdings on Dec. 26. That same day, the American Dream PAC paid SNK $250,000 for a “professional advisory retainer.”
“We believe this was done to improperly and deceptively inflate their fundraising numbers, thereby violating Missouri campaign finance and ethics laws,” Byron Keelin, president of the group, said in an email.
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Rich Chrismer, spokesman for the American Dream PAC, said Tuesday the PAC didn’t actually pay a “professional advisor retainer” to the donor.
SNK had already given $250,000 to the American Dream PAC in October, according to campaign filings.
According to the PAC, that donation was returned after the PAC discovered that SNK, a limited liability company, hadn’t registered with the ethics commission as required by state law.
In addition to returning the previous donation, the American Dream PAC accepted a donation in the same amount after SNK registered with the state, the Kehoe PAC said.
The disbursement to SNK, initially recorded as a “professional advisory retainer,” was “miskeyed” and corrected, Chrismer said. Records show the political action committee on Tuesday amended its campaign filings to reflect a refunded contribution.
The complaint says SNK is a “corporate vehicle” for land owned by pet food maker Schell & Kampeter Inc., which does business as Diamond Pet Foods.
Kehoe has led his rivals in fundraising. In addition to Kehoe’s PAC, which is allowed to accept unlimited campaign contributions, the complaint also names the lieutenant governor’s campaign account, Citizens to Elect Mike Kehoe.
The ethics complaint Tuesday follows a complaint filed earlier this month against state Sen. Bill Eigel, accusing the Weldon Spring gubernatorial candidate of illegally inflating his fundraising numbers. Eigel is a member of the Missouri Freedom Caucus.
The Republican primary is Aug. 6.