Missouri may be 'on the hook' for $150K for Greitens' private impeachment attorneys
Missouri taxpayers may be responsible for more than $150,000 to pay two outside attorneys hired to guide former Gov. Eric Greitens through possible impeachment proceedings.
The state's Office of Administration is reviewing bills from each of the two attorneys, who represented Greitens until he announced his resignation.
Greitens' office hired Ross Garber, a Washington, D.C., attorney who has defended other governors during impeachments, and Edward Greim from the Kansas City-based Graves Garrett law firm of Missouri GOP Chairman Todd Graves. Combined, Garber and Greim charged the state $660 per hour.
Their hiring drew the ire of State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat, and Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley, who said the governor's office brought the two on illegally.
"Now that these invoices appear to be moving through the process and taxpayers could be on the hook," Galloway said she would talk to the Missouri Office of Administration and Treasurer's Office to discuss whether the treasurer can refuse to pay the bills.
"Though there is a new administration, it does not change my responsibility to protect taxpayers," Galloway said in a statement Saturday. "I have ongoing concerns about using taxpayer dollars to pay the ex-governor's private attorneys, and I'm going to continue to work to get answers."
Hawley has said that Greitens should have used the attorney general's office to handle impeachment issues.
It's unclear whether Missouri Treasurer Eric Schmitt's office, which processes state payments, shares their concerns.
Galloway expressed her concerns in a May letter to the office of administration and Schmitt's office.
Jonathan Hensley, general counsel for Schmitt's office, argued in a letter back that the office of administration is responsible for determining whether bills are "lawfully valid." Schmitt's office, he said, makes sure the state has the funds to pay it.
Galloway's office said that "seemed to be contrary to the position taken by former state treasurers."
Galloway's office's general counsel, Paul Harper, said the Missouri Supreme Court had previously ruled the treasurer's office had the authority to refuse to issue payments.
"Based on your letter, I must come to the conclusion that you no longer believe that State ex. rel Swift v. Treasurer is good law," Harper wrote back.
Two invoices provided to The Star show Garber and Greim's firms billed the Missouri governor's office for more than $153,000.
Greim's firm billed the state for more than $89,300 to cover expenses and 260 hours of service between April 27 and May 29 when Greitens announced he would resign. Garber's Connecticut-based firm, Shipman & Goodwin, billed the state more than $64,000 for expenses and 157 hours of service between March 5 and May 29.
Garber said he had not yet been paid. He has argued payment by the state is appropriate because it would not be good practice to have lawyers loyal solely to an individual — Greitens — representing the state office.
Garber said that when he represented other governors facing impeachment — Robert Bentley of Alabama, Mark Sanford of South Carolina and John Rowland of Connecticut— his payment was never scrutinized.
“I’ve never had any concern about bringing in qualified counsel to represent the office of the governor in significant constitutional cases," Garber said.
This story was originally published June 9, 2018 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Missouri may be 'on the hook' for $150K for Greitens' private impeachment attorneys."