Sen. Josh Hawley did not break any laws while attorney general, but did violate some internal policies according to state auditor Nicole Galloway. She was commissioned by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to conduct the audit after a complaint that Hawley was using state funds for his senate campaign.
Galloway said the actions while Hawley was attorney general “gave an appearance of impropriety.”
The audit found Hawley had used personal email, which is against policy, as well as used a state vehicle for political and possibly personal uses. She said her investigation experienced delays due to the feedback from Hawley’s office.
“Most disturbing near the end of the audit statements were made from the Attorney General general's office that were intended to bully my professional staff. None of this is acceptable, and it's disappointing how the current Attorney General's Office conducted itself,” said.
Galloway says Hawley claims he reimbursed taxpayers for the costs, but she has found no evidence of this reimbursement. Galloway also says the lack of cooperation from Hawley’s office delayed her investigation. Hawley accused Galloway’s office of misconduct during the audit.
“He a sitting US Senator used his political apparatus to essentially conduct opposition research on state employees and then went to Twitter to disseminate false allegations. This behavior is bizarre,” Galloway said.
In a press release, Hawley has issued a complaint to the Missouri State Board of Accountancy against Galloway’s office for misconduct, including political bias. Hawley accused Galloway of misconduct due to an email which included the phrase “beef up” to describe the policy violations.
The employee who sent the email, Pam Allison, spoke after Galloway’s audit release. Allison said the term was meant in a casual way and that it’s a normal phrase for her.