Our previous post
on Lakegate filled in the official side of the story. In it, the Nixon
administration claimed that it first became aware of the E. coli test results
for the Lake of the Ozarks on June 23. But according to internal communications
from the DNR, that and many other details in their account are fabrications.
On June 4, Joe Bindbeutel had a meeting with Nixon aide Kristy Manning and a
utilities exec at the Governor's office. E-mails revealed by Chad Livengood show
that Bindbeutel had gone to lengths to prepare a report on the test results
for a meeting at the Governor's office. Involved parties have apparently been struck with a case of
selective amnesia, because they deny that E. coli was discussed.
Eight days later, Bindbeutel and other DNR employees held a meeting with the
Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance (LOWA). The LOWA minutes from the meeting
include this paraphrased quote from Bindbeutel: "the recent water testing has drawn the attention of the director of DNR
as well as Governor Nixon." This statement has been met with another
round of selective amnesia.
Only one day after supposedly ordering the release of the test result – a move
which set DNR and Bindbeutel up to take the fall - the Nixon administration evacuated Bindbeutel from the DNR with an
appointment to the Administrative Hearing Commission. Was this a reward for
being their scapegoat?
The release of this information led the Nixon administration to actively try to bury the details of
the story. A reporter's request for security camera footage outside the
Governor's office, which might reveal meetings with DNR employees and targets
for the Sunshine law, was denied because of ‘concerns’ surrounding terrorism.
Seriously? The justification is bizarre, focusing more on legalese than practical
considerations.
Now the State Senate investigation is making it public that the DNR won't let its employees be
interviewed except in the presence of DNR lawyers - a condition that will
almost certainly bring about another round of selective amnesia.
While Chris Koster’s investigation concluded the DNR had done nothing illegal,
recently released e-mails show the DNR was more aware of requests for the test
results than initially indicated. Koster says he didn’t know about it, and
given the level of cooperation the Nixon administration and DNR have been
giving everyone else, we think that’s a credible excuse.
In the last few weeks the story has changed dramatically. Having failed to
scapegoat the DNR and Bindbeutel, the Nixon administration now has its full
shields up and is trying to obstruct any further inquiries into Lakegate.
One thing is clear – the official account is full of holes, and the Nixon
administration is trying to stop people from finding out more. It won’t work.
We’re currently following up on several leads that promise to reveal the full
extent of the Nixon administration’s involvement. Expect a big update on
Thursday.
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