Jason Hancock
Editor, The Missouri IndependentJason Hancock has been writing about Missouri since 2011, most recently as lead political reporter for The Kansas City Star. He has spent nearly two decades covering politics and policy for news organizations across the Midwest, and has a track record of exposing government wrongdoing and holding elected officials accountable.
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The unanimous verdict was scathing in its assessment of Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who refused to sign off on the work of Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. The court concluded that nothing in state law “gives the attorney general authority to question the auditor’s assessment of the fiscal impact of a proposed petition.”
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State Rep. Crystal Quade is the first major Democratic candidate to enter the field to replace Gov. Mike Parson next year. In an video announcing her campaign, she discussed being raised by a single mom and relying on food stamps before touting her record in the legislature.
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A Cole County judge in November concluded Josh Hawley’s staff illegally refused to turn over public records out of concern it could have hurt his 2018 Senate campaign
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Missourians seeking public records from the office of Attorney General Andrew Bailey face delays that can stretch up to a year. The situation is especially problematic for the office in charge of enforcing Missouri’s Sunshine Law, which ensures the public has access to government records and meetings.
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Proponents of an initiative petition seeking to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution have been unable to begin collecting signatures because of a showdown between the attorney general and state auditor. In a lawsuit, Missouri ACLU claims that Attorney General Andrew Bailey has made an illegal effort to falsely increase the cost of the amendment.
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Emails show Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick’s office completed its work on the cost estimate for an abortion rights ballot issue, but Attorney General Andrew Bailey refused to give what has traditionally been considered perfunctory approval — and demanded the auditor falsely inflate the numbers.
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The ACLU filed a lawsuit after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey attempted to convince the state auditor’s office to falsely increase the projected cost of the abortion amendment. Because Bailey refused to sign off on the fiscal note, the ballot summary can't be finalized — something that was supposed to be done by May 1.
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In a seemingly unprecedented move, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey demanded that the state auditor include “inaccurate information" in the fiscal summary for a proposed amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.
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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey demanded Planned Parenthood turn over a litany of records as part of his investigation into allegations of misconduct at the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Planned Parenthood argues Bailey’s demand for documents is outside the scope of his legal authority and is “improper, harassing and unjust.”
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Backed by the group Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the measures would amend the Missouri Constitution to declare that the “government shall not infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom.” That would include childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion services, and miscarriage care.