Galloway’s office found evidence of 11 in-person and phone meetings between Hawley’s staff and his political consultants from January to July 2017. Over that same period, Hawley’s campaign paid a combined $141,000 to the political advisers OnMessage Inc., First Tuesday and HLC Strategic LLC.
The earlier audit also said employees did not follow office policy when they used personal email accounts, calendars and phones “to conduct official business, communicate, and schedule meetings.”
And, it said Hawley used a state vehicle and a driver for some trips without documenting the purpose of the trip. A driver told the auditor that on Dec. 16, 2017, he drove Hawley and his wife, Erin, to Kansas City for a Chiefs football game.
In response, his attorney said there was no evidence Hawley “ever engaged in any misconduct or violated Missouri laws or ethics rules.”
The new audit also found a lack of oversight for travel-related costs.
“For example, beginning and ending odometer readings recorded for a round trip from Jefferson City to Lebanon indicate the vehicle was driven 526 miles, while the actual round trip mileage between these cities is approximately 180 miles,” the audit noted.
The office also may have overpaid to send employees to a conference in Portland, Oregon, by failing to register early enough to get a reduced room rate. Instead of paying $209 per night, employees paid $359 to $450 per night.
