But as he represented the taxpayers of Missouri in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, his office did not keep his travel records. The oral arguments, covered by news organizations across the country, did not appear on his calendar. His calendar notes a “Press Conference” and two TV interviews that day. There are no records showing the cost of the trip or reimbursement checks.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service: Schmitt’s office did not keep travel records after 2020, raising transparency concerns
11.28.2022 / By Kacen Bayless and Daniel Desrochers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service: Schmitt’s office did not keep travel records after 2020, raising transparency concerns
JEFFERSON CITY — In April, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt walked from inside the U.S. Supreme Court to a circle of cameras and reporters stationed on the sidewalk. Tourists listened in as Schmitt took questions about his and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s challenge to a Biden administration immigration policy. …
Over the course of Schmitt’s tenure as attorney general, as he leveraged his public office to help build his political brand in the Republican Party with high-profile lawsuits, Schmitt’s record keeping was sparse. Between January and late September 2022, Schmitt had only 39 entries in his calendar. …
Government transparency experts say such records are important to help build trust with the public and to account for how taxpayer money is spent by an office with an annual budget of more than $40 million. In Congress, where Schmitt will serve starting next year, some members have begun posting their daily schedules online in an effort at transparency.
“When an elected official runs for another public office, it doesn’t, in any way, absolve them from complying with freedom of information requests or public information requests,” said Aaron Scherb, the legislative affairs director for Common Cause, a national nonpartisan group that advocates for government transparency. “Public officials work on the taxpayers’ dime. And it’s important that citizens can get the transparency and accountability that they deserve from their elected officials at all times.”