Those in-the-know bloggers - specifically "Rod Squad" - atFiredUp! Missouri report:
Word buzzing around the DC media rumor mill is that national outlets CNN and the Washington Post are currently working on a blockbuster story involving Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.
Blunt is embroiled in a scandal that involves his administration being accused of destroying emails and then ordering the backup tapes destroyed. From the KC Star:
When the governor’s staff realized that copies of the deleted messages existed on computer backup tapes, Blunt or his top aides ordered the backup tapes be scheduled for deletion, the suit says. However, two supervisors in the state’s computer technology division refused to delete them because they were subject to requests under the Sunshine Law.
The Blunt administration subsequently fired deputy general counsel and whistle-blower Scott Eckersly for informing them that they were breaking the law. They also put forth vicious lies (that Eckersly has since successfully refuted) as reasons for the firing. Blogger Howard Beale has been all over this; excellent background here:
Former deputy general counsel to the governor Scott Eckersley revealed to the public this weekend that he was fired by Ed Martin and Matt Blunt for informing those men of several occasions that the governor's office was breaking the law regarding the provision of official documents.
For their part, Blunt and Martin deny that Eckersley was fired for advising the governor about his legal responsibility regarding the retention of emails and other public documents. Yet while they deny Eckersley was fired on those grounds, their statements to the press are carefully crafted to avoid an outright confirmation or denial of whether Eckersley did provide advice about the governor's non-compliance to Martin and Blunt.
Many have suspected that something big was coming since Blunt shocked the state in January when he announced that he would not seek re-election. We'll just have to see how this unfolds.........and when.
The Blunt Administration's Scott Eckersley Scandal Resource Page