JEFFERSON CITY - In what is certainly the most disgusting use of the politics of personal destruction in state history, Missouri Democrats this week provided to the media STOLEN personal family photos of a member of Gov. Matt Blunt’s staff. The Missouri Republican Party immediately called for an investigation into how Democrats obtained the photos and who was responsible for these disgusting, politically motivated attacks on a female crime victim.

“Democrat Chairman John Temporiti as the head of his party should start his investigation with Senators Maida Coleman, Chuck Graham and Victor Callahan to ensure that everyone at the State Democrat Party who has knowledge of the perpetrators of this victimization come clean,” said Jared Craighead, Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party. “Saying ‘we don’t know and we can’t find out who used these stolen photos for political gain’ won’t cut it! Democrats need to hold their own people accountable when deplorable tactics such as these are used. Winning at all costs should not be the standard in Missouri politics.”

The Missouri Republican Party today also called on the Missouri Democrat Party to apologize to the victim and her family for these despicable tactics and hold their people accountable for this reprehensible behavior by firing those responsible, cooperating with investigators, demanding resignations from elected officials involved in this exploitation and not stonewalling the family who has a right to know who did this. This story was irresponsibly reported by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and hopefully Democrats will responsibly take immediate corrective action as outlined above.