JEFFERSON CITY _ Jay Nixon’s political manipulation and abuse of a foundation created to help Missouri’s uninsured has been exposed with the release of Nixon staff emails that prove collusion between Nixon and the Missouri Foundation for Health. The correspondence shows the foundation is desperately trying to distance itself from Nixon now that he has been caught abusing it — a pattern of abuse reminiscent of Nixon’s acceptance of Ameren contributions and his illegal use of a state vehicle for political purposes.

“Jay Nixon has used the Missouri Foundation for Health as a political slush fund for years and these emails provide incontrovertible evidence of collusion between the foundation and Nixon’s political campaign (a.k.a. his official office). The emails also prove that Nixon was being pressured by the foundation to distance himself from it to try and avoid the political ramifications of his inappropriate actions,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “Jay Nixon cannot escape from his abuse of the Missouri Foundation for Health no more than he can escape from the political contributions he took from Ameren while he was investigating the utility and illegally using a state vehicle and resources for political purposes.”

The politically sensitive correspondence between Doug Nelson, a Nixon deputy chief of staff, and James Kimmey, chief executive officer of the Missouri Foundation for Health and a Nixon donor, shows that foundation officials are extremely worried about public and media scrutiny regarding Nixon’s links to grants made to pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood, organizations like La Clinica that openly provide services to illegal immigrants, and Democrat shell groups like the Missouri Budget Project.

The emails, released yesterday by a conservative blog, talk about a “speeded up timetable” for Nixon to distance himself from the foundation; a warning to Nixon’s office regarding media inquiries about the foundation; belief that a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter “will criticize Republicans for raising the issue”; pleadings that “we (the foundation) need action” from Nixon’s office to oppose legislation removing Nixon from oversight of the foundation; and concerns about a Missouri Republican Party radio ad exposing Nixon’s ties to the organization. The complete documents can be found here.

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