Liberty Alliance USA Files Legal Complaint Against Auditor Galloway For Misuse of Public Funds
Today, Liberty Alliance USA announces it filed a complaint with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft against Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway for her illegal misuse of taxpayer dollars to further her political candidacy for governor.
Liberty Alliance USA has uncovered emails that explicitly demonstrate that her office used state time and taxpayer-funded resources to publish campaign talking points critical of Galloway’s eventual opponent and on an issue entirely unrelated to the duties of her official office. This is in clear violation of Missouri law, RSMo. Section 115.646, a statute Galloway hypocritically weaponized against a political opponent earlier this year.
Galloway’s use of taxpayer-funded employees and resources to advocate for increased abortion access and to claim her political opponents were “protecting rapists” is blatantly political and far outside the purview of her limited constitutional duties as auditor. The complaint asks Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to use his statutory authority to commence an investigation into Galloway’s actions and determine if Galloway misused taxpayer resources and personnel to aid her campaign for governor.
Liberty Alliance USA has submitted numerous Sunshine requests to the State Auditor’s Office over the past year seeking to learn the extent of Galloway’s misuse of tax dollars, but Galloway’s office has stonewalled and withheld documents asserting vague privileges, in a brazen lack of transparency. As of August 28, 2020, the Secretary of State’s Office has the power to subpoena documents to aid in investigating elections-related complaints, and it is now uniquely capable of carrying out this investigation on behalf of taxpayers.
“Nicole Galloway promised to be a taxpayer watchdog for the people of Missouri. Unfortunately, it appears she misused tax dollars by directing a state employee to undertake what the Post-Dispatch called a “clearly a personal political mission.” These efforts had nothing to do with her constitutional duties as the state auditor and everything to do with her positioning herself for higher office,” said Liberty Alliance Executive Director Chris Vas. “That was illegal. Millions of hardworking Missourians entrust their tax dollars to Jefferson City every year. Galloway has broken the public’s trust, and we look forward to a full investigation by Secretary Ashcroft. Missourians deserve to know if public resources are being abused for political gain.”