Records: Hawley's AG office used private emails, consulted with political operatives

Outgoing Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley on Friday released records that show public employees in his office used private email addresses for official business and frequently took direction from political consultants.

The 85 pages of records released by Hawley’s office confirm reporting by The Kansas City Star in October that Hawley’s attorney general staff frequently used private email in its communications with outside political consultants Gail Gitcho and Timmy Teepell.

The Star reported on Oct. 31 that Gitcho and Teepell, two political consultants who guided Hawley’s election to the U.S. Senate, became involved in operation of the attorney general’s office shortly after Hawley was sworn in in 2017.

In one example, an April 26, 2017 email from Teepell, a partner with political consultancy OnMessage, lays out several tasks for staff to accomplish, such as developing a target list of key legislators, a job description for a press secretary and coming up with a list of accomplishments.

Read more: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article223427955.html