JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Republican Party is asking that newspapers and radio stations in Crawford, Dent and Phelps counties seek, secure, publish and broadcast State Auditor Claire McCaskill?s answers to key questions about her actions in the courthouse stealing probe in Crawford County, including accepting political money from an official while his office was under audit.

John Hancock, spokesman of MRP, said: ?The questions about Claire McCaskill?s integrity, competence, and level of service are growing daily. Now, the Cuba Free-Press reported just this past weekend that McCaskill admits the Danny Gladden irregularities may reach back as far as 2001, which means McCaskill was missing the problem for four years. We intend for these questions to be addressed. The best way is for the news media to ask the questions, and any others they might have, and then print and air what McCaskill has to say, so the people of Crawford County can judge the facts about the Auditor.?

Hancock presented ten basic questions for McCaskill. MRP has provided a copy of this news release to Auditor McCaskill:

1. Atty. Gen. Nixon?s office has stated that theft by former Circuit Clerk Karen McPeters, a Democrat who has pleaded guilty to five felony and two misdemeanor charges of stealing from the county, began during your audit of the county for the period ending Dec. 31, 2002. Now, you have acknowledged in the Cuba Free Press that Gladdens alleged theft may have originated in 2001. Is your published audit report (#2003-71) silent on both cases because you missed what was going on? (Attorney General, News Release, December 31, 2003)
2. Do recognized professional standards for auditors say whether an auditor should accept political contributions, gifts, or any thing of value from somebody who is being audited? You frequently say that you follow professionally recognized standards for integrity. What do they say about taking money from people who are being audited?
3. State records say that you accepted $500 or more in political money from Danny Gladden, Democrat County Collector, who has been charged with stealing more than $25,000 from taxpayers with suspected shortages that may reach $300,000. When were you told month/year that Gladden had come under suspicion by your audit team?
4. If you received his political money after learning he was under suspicion, why did you take the money?
5. If you received his money before knowing he was under suspicion, why havent you returned his political money, or donated it to Crawford County schools?
6. How many times have you accepted political money from courthouse officials who were under audit?
7. Beyond Missouri?s county courthouses, do you accept political donations from state employees or others whose work is under audit by your office, and why or why not?
8. Will you establish a policy of not accepting money from people while you are auditing them?
9. You told Missouri?s leading liberal-friendly newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that law enforcements use of the office audit in Gladdens prosecution shows that you are independent. Do you expect people to believe that you could have directed your staff to cover this up and they would have done it? By way of amplification, let us suggest something more plausible: The offices nonpartisan field staff is generally well-regarded; it had become suspicious of Gladden; the matter was going to take its proper course, and you could have stopped absolutely nothing, even if you wanted to do a cover-up. Again: Do you really believe that your own staff would have followed an order to bury this one deep? You would have attempted no such thing. If you had, your own staff should have reported you to authorities.
10. You sometimes hire contractors to help on your offices official work of auditing counties. What is your policy on seeking or accepting political donations from these or other contractors?