Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster speaking at Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
This is the second and final part of the transcript of the question and answer session at Boys State with Attorney General Chris Koster on Saturday evening:
....Question: ...What kind of strategies do you use whenever you're building a prosecution?
Attorney General Koster: What kind of strategies that, do I use when I'm building a prosecution? Uh, I start, so it's a legal question, are you planning to go to law school?
Question: ...That was one of my plans.
Attorney General Koster: Everybody does it differently. I, uh, learn the case file. Tend to, I want to go see the crime scene. I'll always go walk the crime scene because I always learn something, uh, by walking a crime scene. And then, actually, I start with my closing argument, so I start with the end. Uh, I don't write out the closing argument completely, but I want to know what is the goal, where am I gonna to get to in front of the jury. And so I, I want to know what that story is and how it's gonna be told and how it impacts, uh, the jury in their ability to decide the issue. Then once I have a sense of what that closing argument is, I work my way backward and try and figure out how am I going to provide the jury with the, uh, the information that they need in order to listen to that story I want to tell them. So I, I work my way backwards.
Attorney General Chris Koster on the stage for Missouri Boys State in Hendricks Hall on the campus of the University of Central Missouri on Saturday evening.
After his keynote speech on Saturday evening Attorney General Chris Koster took questions from the Boys State audience:
Attorney General Chris Koster (D): ...Begin over here?
Question: Um, as you mentioned, newspapers are really important to you, uh, but that, but media has really expanded and has become so prevalent in national politics. Um, how much of a role do you think image plays in appointing officials? And, um, do you think this issue of image affects other issues like experience?
Attorney General Koster : How much does image affect elected officials?
Question: How, like, media has become really prevalent.
Attorney General Koster: Right.
Question: So, the image of a candidate, how he come, appears the public has become really important and do you think that, that has affected other issues like experience?
Attorney General Koster: I think that image became important fifty years ago. Do you want me to go back to the, uh, let me get, I'm gonna go to this, this seems to be a little clearer. I think image became important fifty years ago, uh, as soon as the Kennedy Nixon debates took place. Um, maybe a little bit before that when President Eisenhower started holding, uh, televised press conferences. But I think the biggest change, honestly, has to do with the expansion of cable on networks and the prevalence of television cameras, not just filming brief portions of the political day and putting them on the five thirty news, as they did when Walter Cronkite, uh, broadcast the five thirty news. But, the television cameras that now exist immediately outside of every committee room's door, so that as soon as the committee chairman and the ranking member of the committee come out of there they are almost expected to say, uh, divergent and politically polarized things. And those things that they are expected to say has created a culture where politicians tend to fall and the back room camaraderie that used to exist, uh, is no longer there, like when Bob Michael was head of the House or Tip O'Neill was there, uh, back in the seventies. That camaraderie is gone and it's the prevalence, I think, of having the television camera that is stuck in a politician's face all the time that as much as anything has, has created that unfortunate circumstance.
Missouri Attorny General Chris Koster was the keynote speaker on Saturday evening for the opening session of Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
Attorney General Chris Koster on the stage in Hendricks Hall at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
Attorney General Chris Koster (D): [applause] Good evening, it's an honor to be with all of you, here in this exciting week. I was looking over the list of statewide elected officials who are going to come and speak with you over the next several days - and the list is certainly impressive. Secretary of State Carnahan will be here, Treasurer Clint Zweifel, Governor Jay Nixon and others have all taken time from their schedule to come and spend a few hours with you. Why do we do it? Not just why do we do it, but why do we consider it an honor to do it? Because all of us, the Governor, myself, all the statewide office holders firmly believe that somewhere in this room is a state representative, a state senator, a U.S. Congressman, a United States Senator, a governor. Sitting somewhere in this room. Not a Boys State Governor, a real governor, the kind that lives in Jefferson City. And if we Missourians are lucky, the kind of man who learns early in his life to keep his ego in check, to devote his time to quiet and patient study, who learns how to make prudent and careful decisions, to put others before himself, and to lead with a proper mix of head and heart, and to guide his fellow citizens forward. Somewhere in this room that man is sitting. And while we statewide officials come here for many reasons, one of the reasons we come here is to talk to him...
Jefferson City, Mo. - Attorney General Chris Koster today released Missouri's 2008 Annual Report on Vehicle Stops. The report includes analysis on more than 1.6 million stops by 639 law enforcement agencies, including racial and ethnic information about drivers who were stopped.
The 2008 report shows that African-Americans continue to be stopped at materially higher rates than either whites or Hispanics.
The report focuses primarily on traffic stop "disparity indexes," which compare the proportion of stops for drivers of a particular race or ethnicity to the proportion of state or local population of that racial or ethnic group. A value of "1" represents no disparity; values over "1" indicate over-representation, while values under "1" indicate under-representation.
Koster said in 2008 the African-American disparity index was 1.59, up slightly from the 2007 rate of 1.58. This increase was the fourth rise in the disparity index for African-American drivers in the past four years. Disparity indexes for African-American drivers in the past five years were 1.34 in 2004, 1.42 in 2005, 1.49 in 2006, 1.58 in 2007 and 1.59 in 2008. In comparison, the disparity index for both whites and Hispanics was .95 in 2008. General statewide trends do not necessarily reflect trends for individual departments, which should be considered on an individual basis.
The disparity index for African-Americans was 1.27 in 2000, the first year in which the report was issued. Subsequently, the index remained in a range of 1.33 to 1.36 for three years, before beginning a generally upward trend.
Statewide data indicates that African-American drivers were 67 percent more likely than Hispanic drivers to be stopped in 2008, despite being 15 percent less likely to be arrested following the stop.
"The increasing rates at which African-American drivers are stopped are of concern to all Missourians," Koster said. "While no single factor can provide the entire explanation for these numbers, one goal remains fixed -- application of the law must be colorblind..."
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster (D) was introduced by Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders at the dinner held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center last night:
Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders: ...We always knew that Chris Koster was an extremely effective politician. And we really knew that was the case when he switched parties and joined the Democratic Party. [applause] We knew how smart and brilliant this man was. [applause] We knew he was a great politician in winning, obviously the race that he ran and the races that he'd run before, but what we're also now discovering about Chris, things that we knew and many of the people in this room know, is that he is a great administrator, a great person, a great leader.
One example. Two thousand nine looks like it's going to be a record year in the State of Missouri for recovery of money on Medicaid and Medicare fraud. [applause] [cheers] Fifty million dollars [applause] that through Chris' leadership is going to be returned.
Mike Sanders and Chris Koster
Now these are all the things that we can talk about, we can read about in the paper, Chris is in the paper. We can see the great things that he is doing in the Attorney General's office, but I wanted to just end with a little brief thing. And that is, in 1996 I left the Jackson County Prosecutor's office, I was a criminal defense attorney, and one of the first, the first case I got hired on was a gentleman who was ultimately wrongly convicted out of Cass County, Missouri. Let me tell you this. The man that I called was this man right here. The thing that amazed me about Chris Koster was when I called him, as a defense attorney/prosecutor you expect an adversarial relationship, what stunned me, what amazed me about Chris Koster was he was as agressive towards finding the truth about that case as anyone that that gentleman could have hired. But for him, but for him a wrongly convicted man could still be in prison today in the State of Missouri. That's a personal story. [applause]
Chris Koster is a man who doesn't just talk the talk. He walks the walk. He's a man of high integrity, high character, a great leader, and your Attorney General, the top law enforcement officer for this State of Missouri, Chris Koster. [applause] [cheers]
Attorney General Chris Koster: Thank you very much.
Thank you to the Jackson County Democratic Party, for all your support. Congratulations Steve [Bough] on hosting another great Truman Days event. And to all of you in this room for the chance, the chance that you have given me to serve. It's good to be back in Kansas City and among friends.
Missouri Democrats had a banner year in two thousand and eight. And we're going to have another banner year in two thousand and ten when we take back this Missouri House of Representatives [applause], when we re-elect Susan Montee [applause], and when we send my friend Robin Carnahan to Washington. [applause]
If you told me ten years ago that I would be here tonight [laughter] speaking at the Truman Days dinner [laughter] I might be a little surprised. [laughter] The path that I took and the path that led me here tonight reaffirms my belief in the openness of a great political party and in the power of change. In November we saw what the power of change could do for this entire nation.
We saw young standing up with the old. We saw the rich standing with the poor. And we saw Americans of every different race and creed standing behind a common desire for change. Right here in Missouri millions stood behind the call for change that was voiced by Jay Nixon and Democrats from St. Joseph to Cape Girardeau. And these Missouri Democrats will not let this state down.
We are seeing the kind of leadership in the first few months of the Obama-Biden administration that is finally reconnecting our government and our people, and our nation to the entire world. In Jefferson City Governor Nixon is offering a true breath of fresh air, honest leadership, and open government. [Dutch Newman: "Yes!] [applause] He's a man of progress. [applause] He's a man of progress and not partisanship. He's as plain spoken as Harry Truman and leads with the same common sense Democrat values. It was an honor to stand on the steps of the state capitol with him last January to be sworn in as Attorney General. Jay Nixon left big shoes to fill. Every day when I walk in that office I sit behind his desk, sixteen years, and I recognize the responsibility that he has left to me. But it is my goal to make him proud.
I happen to think that I have the best job in state government. My job isn't to be a show horse. We've got a lot of talented people in this party to showcase, and in our government. I recognize that I am the low man on the Democratic totem pole. And I tell you tonight that there is no place that I would rather be.
Law enforcement has been my life's work. And I'm proud to serve the people of this state and of this party every day...
Evidently he was not interested in being distracted by "the global war on terror" before 2001.
Statement by Senator Christopher Bond (R-Missouri) Following is a statement from the Senate's closed deliberations on the articles of impeachment against President Clinton, excerpts of which senators were allowed to publish in the Congressional Record for Friday, February 12, 1999.
On Friday, February 12, 1999, I voted to convict President William Jefferson Clinton on both counts of the Impeachment Articles brought by the United States House of Representatives charging that he committed perjury and obstruction of justice. My reasons follow....
...It is precisely in good times, with the President high in the polls, that it is incumbent upon the Senate to exercise very thoroughly and carefully the responsibility under the Constitution to make the difficult decision on whether the President has committed high-crimes and misdemeanors warranting his removal from office. If we are to have a government of laws and not of men and not of public opinion polls, then we must judge the President on the evidence presented to us. I believe that the acts that he committed constitute high-crimes and misdemeanors warranting his conviction...
[emphasis added]
What had been going in the world before that time?
...Eric H. Holder Jr.'s confirmation as attorney general is speeding toward approval thanks in part to his private assurances to a key Republican senator that he does not intend to prosecute intelligence agency interrogators for their actions during the prior administration.
The assurances, reported by Sen. Christopher S. Bond, Missouri Republican, to The Washington Times on Wednesday, went beyond Mr. Holder's earlier public testimony in which he said he could not prejudge his actions regarding cases he had not seen.
"I believe [Mr. Holder] will look forward to keep the nation safe and not look backwards to prosecute intelligence operators who were fighting terror and kept our country safe since 9/11," Mr. Bond said in the interview...
The office of Attorney General-elect Chris Koster issued the following press release today:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 29, 2008
CONTACT: Rebecca Kirszner...
JUDGE JOSEPH DANDURAND JOINS KOSTER TEAM AS DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
Cass County, MO - Attorney General-elect Chris Koster announced today that Judge Joe Dandurand will be joining the Attorney General's Office as Deputy Attorney General.
"I have known Joe Dandurand for over a decade, and in that time, I have developed an enormous respect for his intellect and abilities as a jurist," said Koster. "Joe's two decades on the bench make him uniquely qualified to lead and mentor the attorneys in our office."
Dandurand has served 21 years as a trial judge, and now sits on Missouri's Western District Court of Appeals. He is a four-time elected Democratic Judge presiding over Cass and Johnson Counties. Dandurand also spent ten years on the State Judicial Education Committee and now serves as its co-Chair.
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have served the residents of Missouri's 17th Judicial Circuit, and more recently the Western District of Missouri, in my capacity as a jurist for the past 22 years," said Dandurand. "The position of Deputy Attorney General of the State of Missouri presents new and exciting challenges. I am now privileged to continue my career in public service by working with the chief law enforcement officer in our great state."
"As a trial judge in Cass County, I have had a front row seat to Chris Koster's work as a Prosecutor. Naturally, in our roles as judge and prosecutor, we have not always agreed on all issues. Through the years, however, we have developed a strong mutual professional and personal respect. It has been a joy to watch Chris develop into a top prosecutor in the state and I look forward to continuing to work with him to promote the administration of justice in Missouri," said Dandurand.
In the past few weeks, Koster has announced a slate of appointments in his office that will make the Attorney General's office one of the most qualified in recent memory. Alongside Deputy Attorney General Dandurand, Judge Ron Holliger, another former judge in the Western District Court of Appeals, will serve as Koster's General Counsel. St. Louis Attorney Robert Kenney, a partner in the firm Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus, will be Koster's Chief of Staff.
###
Joe Dandurand was appointed to the Western District Court of Appeals a little over a year ago. Yeah, he got an enthusiastic "attaboy" from Matt "baby" Blunt:
A 48 hour report was filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission by Michael Gibbons, the republican candidate for Attorney General, showing a single campaign contribution for $1,100,000.00. That's no typo. That's one million one hundred thousand dollars.
This has got to be some sort of record for Missouri.
Don't you just love those grass rootsie republican campaigns? In this republican created crappy economy somebody (or group of somebodies) is throwing that kind of cash at a republican candidate destined to lose in the general election. Wow. Just wow.
Robin Carnahan, the Missouri Secretary of State, has certified the results of the Democratic Attorney General primary recount. State Senator Chris Koster is the Democratic nominee:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Jefferson City, Missouri - Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan today announced the certified results from the recounts of the Attorney General Democratic primary election and two State Senate Democratic primaries.
The final results of the Democratic Attorney General primary recount confirmed the victory of State Senator Chris Koster over Representative Margaret Donnelly. The difference between the two candidates after the recount is 829 votes, and the difference before the recount was 780 votes.
Final results of the recount are as follows: Sen. Chris Koster, 118,934 votes; Rep. Margaret Donnelly, 118,105 votes; Rep. Jeff Harris 86,550 votes; and Molly Williams, 23,140 votes....
....The Democratic Attorney General primary recount is the second statewide recount conducted since Secretary Carnahan took office in 2005. In 2006, a recount of the Republican State Auditor primary confirmed the victory of Sandra Thomas over Jack Jackson.
-- 30 --
[emphasis added]
Chris Koster's campaign issued the following press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
KOSTER CALLS FOR UNITY; LOOKS FORWARD TO FALL CAMPAIGN
Senator Chris Koster, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, today issued the following statement regarding the certification of recount results in the Attorney General primary election:
"Throughout a hard-fought primary campaign, Representatives Donnelly and Harris championed issues critical to Missouri's future, ranging from important consumer protections to the prosecution of cyber crimes. I look forward to working with both of them and their supporters to carry those issues and others through the November election and into the Attorney General's Office. It is now time to move forward as one strong, united Democratic ticket led by Missouri's next governor, Jay Nixon, to deliver the change our state's working families so desperately need."
###
Update: Margaret Donnelly's campaign sent out the following e-mail:
Today I received the following via e-mail from Margaret Donnelly's legal representatives:
Margaret Donnelly Officially Files Request for Recount in Attorney General Primary
Certification of Missouri Democratic Primary Results Means that Campaign Can Proceed with Formal Request of Recount
After receiving word that the Democratic primary results for the Missouri Attorney General race were certified late last week, Representative Margaret Donnelly (Dem.) has officially filed her formal request for a recount of the Democratic ballots. As Donnelly was second to Senator Chris Koster by a 0.2% margin, with a 780-vote differential out of more than 346,000 votes cast, this result is well within the margin necessary to qualify for a recount.
In accordance with the state statutes that provide guidance for this procedure, the Donnelly campaign has filed a petition with the state's Supreme Court to consider all votes, including rejected absentee and provisional ballots, cast in the primary election. With this result representing the closest statewide race in Missouri history, each vote becomes all the more significant in an outcome where a mere one-vote swing in as few as 25% of the precincts in the state would result in a Donnelly victory.
Acting on the campaign's behalf, Lathrop & Gage L.C. filed the official request for recount pursuant to Section 115.601, RSMo late on Friday, and on Monday afternoon filed its petition with the Missouri Supreme Court to consider all votes in the process, including rejected absentee and provisional ballots. Member Richard Rhyne of the firm's Kansas City office has led the legal team in this matter - during the campaign he served as chair of the Donnelly for Attorney General Greater Kansas City-Area Steering Committee, and has handled election recount matters in his legal practice.
"We are following the procedure that the state has established, so at this point it is a legal proceeding," Ms. Donnelly said. "We want to be sure that all voices are heard in this election, which is the common goal that we and the party both share...."
[emphasis added]
As of this writing the petition mentioned in the e-mail and reportedly filed with the Missouri Supreme Court (separate from the recount request filed with the Missouri Secretary of State) doesn't show up in the case file system.
We received the following press release from Margaret Donnelly's campaign:
For Immediate Release
Margaret Donnelly Asks Secretary of State's Office for Recount of Attorney General Results
Representative Margaret Donnelly, 2008 candidate for Attorney General in the state of Missouri, today announced her intention to file a formal request for a recount of the Democratic ballots cast in the state's primary election August 5. Donnelly was second to Chris Koster by a 0.2% margin, with a 794-vote differential out of more than 346,000 votes cast. (Results are still unofficial until they are certified by the Secretary of State.) With the smallest margin in a statewide race in Missouri history, a one-vote swing in as few as 25% of the precincts in the state would result in a Donnelly victory.
"Voting is the heart of the democratic process, and we are pursuing a recount as that is the fairest way possible to make sure the people's voice through the election is most accurately heard," Ms. Donnelly said. "I have received encouragement to pursue the recount from an overwhelming number of Democratic primary voters. At this stage the recount becomes a legal procedure."
Lathrop & Gage L.C. has been hired to represent the Donnelly campaign in this matter. Member Richard Rhyne of the firm's Kansas City office has served as chair of the Donnelly for Attorney General Greater Kansas City-Area Steering Committee, and has handled election recount matters in his legal practice.
"Lathrop & Gage has handled election recounts like this many times before," Ms. Donnelly said. Counted among those matters would be the Dolan v. Powers recount of the Johnson County, Missouri Auditor's race, a precedent-setting case that set the standard for election recounts since Missouri enacted the Uniform Counting Standards. "As candidates are able to request a recount whenever their losing margin is less than 1 percentage point, and given the slim margin separating the candidates at the top, we feel it is in the best interest of the state and of all those who voted to make sure there is no error in tabulating the final results and that the votes of all citizens are counted for this important race."
[emphasis added]
The release from Donnelly's campaign mentions the Johnson County recount from the 2006 election. Our previous coverage of that case:
The last statewide primary recount occurred in 2006, in the republican State Auditor primary. The results were not overturned.
Update:
A press release from Chris Koster's campaign:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2008
KOSTER WELCOMES RECOUNT; CONFIDENT IN VICTORY
Senator Chris Koster today issued the following statement regarding the recount in the Attorney General primary election:
"Representative Donnelly and her supporters ran a tremendous race. It is within her right to verify the election's results. We remain confident that our campaign is on the path to victory in November, and I will continue to travel to every corner of Missouri to talk about my law enforcement experience and the issues that matter most to working families."
Koster, Chris DEM 118,649 34.3%
Donnelly, Margaret DEM 117,863 34.1%
Harris, Jeff DEM 86,424 25.0%
Williams, Molly DEM 23,097 6.7%
Total Votes 669,526
In the last few days I've had a number of conversations with good Democrats in my area about the outcome of the Democratic Attorney General primary. A husband and wife split, one for Chris Koster and one for Margaret Donnelly. Another individual told me they gave money to Koster and voted for Donnelly. This person is fine with Koster and will support him in the general election. Another individual told me they gave money to Donnelly and voted for Koster. And finally, one individual told me they supported and liked Koster, but voted for Molly Williams "so she'd get some votes."
Go figure.
If I could ever figure this politics thing out I think I might have a chance some day at amassing real power. It doesn't look like that'll ever happen.
Chris Koster attended a luncheon with supporters in eastern Jackson County today and thanked them for their support.
Chris Koster and Senator Victor Callahan.
Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee
Individuals attending the luncheon included representatives of Freedom, Inc., La Raza Political Club, the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council, the Firefighters State Council, Teamsters, Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee, Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders, Senator Victor Callahan, Representative Paul LeVota, Representative Jason Holsman, and Democratic Party activist Dutch Newman, among many others.
Koster thanked the crowd for their support and stated, "We didn't win by a lot, but by enough...Margaret Donnelly and Jeff Harris ran great camapigns, we all need to reach out to their supporters..." He went on to "...thank Democratic activists who gave me a chance..."
Susan Montee stated, "We've had these primaries because we've had an abundance of great candidates..."
The seed was planted a few weeks ago, when a commenter lauded Jeff Harris' internet outreach and wondered if someone who supported Margaret Donnelly could do the same thing for her. The thought went into full bloom when I saw her in action at the West County Democrats debate last week. From the beginning of the debate, she was passionate, intelligent, articulate, and I agreed with her on the issues. I was also impressed by her experience. Over the last two decades, Rep. Donnelly has been a family lawyer fighting for abused children and spouses, an advocate who helped establish the first battered women's shelter in St. Louis County, served on school boards and as a Metro commissioner; and as ranking Democrat on the budget commitee, she has a comprehensive knowledge of the same state agencies that an Attorney General has to deal with extensively. I was outraged that none of this seemed to be coming across over the internet, and as someone who has been involved in online politics in one way or another since 2002, I thought I could be of help. Late last week, I offered my services to Margaret, and she accepted.
Ironically, I've decided not to write any further frontpage diaries about the Attorney General race, because I'm being paid for my help. I don't want to give candidates the impression that they can pay for access or to slant coverage one way or another. Our other regular frontpagers will continue to do a good job covering the race, and I hope that readers will continue to comment and contribute diaries as well. I may step in now and again to comment in order to correct an incorrect statement about Rep. Donnelly, but I anticipate that others here will do a good enough job that I don't have to. In any case, I look forward to a spirited primary, and to helping Margaret Donnelly become Missouri's first female Attorney General.
The candidates: (from left to right) Margaret Donnelly, Jeff Harris, Chris Koster
A transcript of the panel questions and candidate answers follows (up to approximately the 45 minute mark in the 90 minute debate). Part four of our coverage will include the transcript from the ending point here through to the end of the debate.
The Committee for County Progress (CCP) presented a debate among the Missouri Democratic Primary Attorney General candidates at 6:00 pm Thursday night in White Recital on the campus of the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Blue Girl and I attended along with approximately 150 other individuals. Vicki Walker from KKFI was also there.
Four candidates including Margaret Donnelly, Jeff Harris, Chris Koster, and Molly Korth Williams were listed as participants in the pre-debate publicity. It was announced at the start of the event that Ms. Williams had withdrawn from the debate.
The panel which questioned the candidates included Joe Arce - Hispanic News, Steve Kraske - Kansas City Star, Mike Mahoney - KMBC, and Eric Wesson - The Call
The panel: (left to right) Joe Arce, Steve Kraske, Mike Mahoney and Eric Wesson
Yesterday I mentioned that Jeff Harris was using his campaign website to promote efforts against the Voter ID bill. Now Margaret Donnelly gets in on the action. There's nothing on her website at the moment, but she did send an e-mail to her list (full text below the fold) asking supporters to contact their state senator and ask them to oppose the bill. I like the language in it - she calls this a continuation of the "the Republican attack on suffrage." Interestingly, she only gives a general link to her website. Harris has a tool to mail an e-mail to state senators about Voter ID, while Donnelly directs you to the Missouri Senate website to look up and contact your senator.
Are there any other elected officials mobilizing like this against the Voter ID bill?
Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee
