JEFFERSON CITY – You can scratch “neutral in open primaries” from the rules at the Missouri Democrat Party.

Robin Carnahan and Joe Maxwell may think they are gubernatorial primary possibilities for 2008, but the Missouri Democratic Party has other ideas after the Missouri Republican Party found that the Democrat Party quietly laundered cash into Jay Nixon’s earlier-than-ever campaign for the nomination.

Only two weeks ago, Nixon landed in scalding ethical waters for using the soon-be-abolished committee transfer game to take more than $19,000 in money from Ameren, the St. Louis utility giant that Nixon is supposed to be investigating in the Taum Sauk dam disaster. Now, campaign finance records show what Nixon doesn’t want Robin Carnahan and Joe Maxwell to know: the Missouri Democrat Party has anointed Nixon their candidate by contributing at least $15,000 to Nixon by funneling state party funds through local committees.

“This new Nixon money laundering operation means that Carnahan and Maxwell have no clue what is going on at the Missouri Democrat Party. It also exposes a factionalized group of people who are more focused on their political ambitions than putting forward anything resembling coherent public policy,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “While the Ameren money found Nixon in the scandalous position of a police officer taking $50 bills from motorists he pulls over, this newest scheme puts Nixon in the position of stealing money from the family cookie jar.”

The funneling of money to Nixon is at odds with the very public deal among Carnahan, Nixon and Claire McCaskill after the disastrous 2004 election in which each member of the Democrat triumvirate was supposed to have an equal say over the Missouri Democrat Party.

“By any past practice, of course, it is unheard for either state party to endorse or finance one hopeful in an open contest where other statewide VIPs might file,” Sloca said. “The committee transfer process is often used to conceal the source of a donation and is being abolished by campaign reform legislation. For obvious reasons, Nixon opposed the reform that ends Missouri’s legal money-laundering.”

Details of the Missouri Democrat Party’s laundered donations to Nixon:

• The 2nd Congressional District Democrats’ January 2006 report itemized contributor list disclosed that the committee received $6,000 from the Missouri Democratic Party on December, 30, 2005. The committee’s itemized expenditure list disclosed that Nixon’s gubernatorial committee received $5,900 on the same date.
• The 63rd Legislative District Committee’s April 2006 report showed it received a $5,000 contribution from the Missouri Democratic Party on March 31, 2006. While the 63rd did not disclose laundering the amount to Nixon’s gubernatorial campaign committee, his April 2006 report disclosed receiving a $4,700 contribution from the 63rd Legislative District Committee on the same date.
• Nixon’s April 2006 contribution list disclosed receiving $4,700 from the Cole County Democratic Central Committee on March 28 and one day later the Cole County Democratic Central Committee’s April 2006 contribution list disclosed receiving a $5,000 contribution from the Missouri Democratic Party. Collectively, the committee reported $5,355 in itemized contributions for the reporting period.