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Today Judge Jon Beetem ruled ("Confide case") that former Mo. Gov. Greitens wrongfully redacted phone numbers, a practice that Gov. Parsons and many others in gov continue thru today. No more.This ruling also affects Senator Hawley. #moleg #FOIA
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U.S. Senator @HawleyMO was Mo. Attorney General then, and he was doing a parallel "investigation" of @EricGreitens use of burner app, Confide. Some said Hawley's investigation was a whitewash, intended to replace our litigation, which Hawley thought would be dismissed.
But, after contentious and lengthy oral argument, Judge Beetem refused to dismiss our lawsuit. Now AG Hawley had a problem, TWO parallel investigations going at the same subject matter, a real investigation (ours) and Hawley's too.
We also filed for a retraining order against the Governor's use to prevent him and his office from using the burner app immediately. While we didn't get the emergency order, this hearing generated an interesting text message within the Governor's office (that we obtained later)
Some believe this text message from a Greitens' employee, (REDACTED AND UNKNOWN), shows that Greitens' team knew Hawley's "investigation" was a whitewash. The governor's office, including now Gov. Parson, has, to this day, refused to unmask the author of this message.
"WE'LL HAVE THE AG OPINION and a motion to dismiss on file by then".
This text was sent before Hawley finished interviewed witnesses in his "investigation". Why would Greitens' people know or be bragging about Hawley's opinion....unless....they knew it in advance?
This text was sent before Hawley finished interviewed witnesses in his "investigation". Why would Greitens' people know or be bragging about Hawley's opinion....unless....they knew it in advance?
Well, Hawley did everything he could to dismiss our case. He even published his whitewashed findings just HOURS before the Motion to Dismiss hearing, exactly like the text message predicted. Grietens' lawyer pointed to Hawley's "findings" and urged the judge to dismiss.
It didn't work. Despite Hawley's findings, the judge ruled against their motion to dismiss. We won that day.
But, many saw the text and timing of Hawley's publication as evidence of collusion.
But, was Hawley helping Greitens or merely protecting himself? Plot twist...
But, many saw the text and timing of Hawley's publication as evidence of collusion.
But, was Hawley helping Greitens or merely protecting himself? Plot twist...
Much later, after the Hawley investigation concluded, we learned Hawley's Chief of Staff downloaded or used Confide as well, and that therefore @HawleyMO's investigation had an irreconcilable conflict of interest before it started. Hawley should have revealed it but, he didn't
Despite being asked multiple times by local media, Hawley concealed the Confide problem in his office and their own conflict of interest until after his election to the Senate in 2018. (v. @clairecmc)
He concealed the conflict of interest for nearly a year.
He concealed the conflict of interest for nearly a year.
The @nytimes and @dannyhakim ran the story about the Hawley "investigation", the anonymous text, and our litigation, but Hawley's unknown and concealed conflict of interest only broke after the election by @J_Hancock and @KCStar.
Now we're in 2021 demanding that the state "unmask" the government employee identities, unredact all phone numbers they concealed, and journalists and twitter can do the rest.
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#FOIA
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#FOIA
Addendum: Here's the @nytimes story on Hawley's investigation of Gov. Greitens burner app use from October 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/21/us/politics/josh-hawley-senate-missouri.html
