JEFFERSON CITY - A frightened Jay Nixon fled the capital yesterday and thumbed his nose at Missourians by refusing to personally answer questions from the media about the more than $19,000 in campaign contributions he extorted from Ameren while he was supposedly investigating the utility.

While tough questions were being raised in JEFFERSON CITY about the Ameren contributions and a pending rate case before the Public Service Commission, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that “Nixon was leaving town” and that reporters seeking comment from the attorney general “were greeted only by a terse news release.” Meanwhile, Mid-Missouri television station KOMU reported that Nixon “would not go on camera” while Missourinet noted that “Officials in Nixon’s office said the attorney general is not available for comment.” Previous media queries over the last few months have received identical treatment from Nixon.

“Jay Nixon’s deafening silence demonstrates he is frightened by the prospect of having to personally answer questions about his role in extorting political contributions from Ameren while he was investigating the utility,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “This is a clear act of cowardice and the more Nixon runs away, the clearer it becomes that he orchestrated the entire arrangement in violation of campaign finance law and his ethical duties as a prosecutor.”

Ameren Senior Vice President Richard Mark has publicly admitted that Nixon’s campaign staff had approached Ameren last spring about making the donations to four Democratic groups that sent the money directly and on the same day to Nixon’s campaign while he was investigating the utility over the Taum Sauk Dam collapse. Nixon could be refusing comment because he personally solicited the contributions.