By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – The Missouri Democratic Party says Governor Matt Blunt violated state campaign finance laws by not reporting the contribution of a campaign bus.
The Democrats' ethics complaint comes a day after Governor Blunt appointed Jefferson City auto dealer Mike Kehoe to the state Highways and Transportation Commission.
The Dems say Kehoe let the campaign use a tour bus, and the appointment was political payback.
Democratic Party spokesman Jack Cardetti says Blunt's campaign never reported the bus as an in-kind contribution.
"We don't know if he leased it," Cardetti said. "We don't know if he rented it. We don't know if he sold it. We don't know if he gave it, because it wasn't on any campaign contribution reports as required by law."
But Blunt spokesman Spence Jackson says the campaign leased the bus from Kehoe, and is still waiting for an invoice.
"We entered into a lease agreement during the campaign with Mr. Kehoe for the bus," Jackson said. "It was entered in before it ever went out on the road in August. We've been communicating with the Missouri Ethics Commission since the campaign about how to report that."