The year in review: August 2007

The Turner Report review of the final six months of 2007 continues with the blog's top stories from August:

Aug. 30- Former Sen. Jim Talent received $15,000 from a senator caught up in a prostitute scandal.

Aug. 29- Former Rep. Nathan Cooper asked for (but eventually did not receive) permission to take a two-week trip to the Phillipines as he awaited sentencing on immigration fraud charges.

Aug. 28- The leadership committee of the infamous Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, contributed nearly $25,000 to former U. S. senators John Ashcroft and Jim Talent.

Aug. 27- Two years after his death, Wal-Mart heir John Walton is continuing to fund the educational voucher movement.

Aug. 26- Voucher proponents All Children Matter poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into an Ohio election.

Aug. 20- Sen. Chris Koster, after jumping from the Republican to the Demcoratic side of the aisle, pulled a photo of him with former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Rep. Sam Graves from his website.

Aug. 18- Sen. (and attorney general candidate) Mike Gibbons, R-St. Louis County, failed to provide information about many of his contributors in his campaign finance reports, and also failed to mention the occupations of numerous lobbyists who contributed to his campaign.

Aug. 13- Former Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, was involved with some "dangerous" people during his immigration fraud activities, according to court records.

Aug. 11- Sen. Chris Koster, D-Harrisonville, continued his purge of his Republican past, removing a photo of him shaking hands with Vice President Dick Cheney from his website.

Aug. 10- Disgraced former Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, had planned a run for statewide office, according to Missouri Ethics Commission documents.

Aug. 10- The first federal lawsuit was filed against ESSI and its CEO Michael Shanahan.

Aug. 9- Former Rep. Nathan Cooper shut down his campaign committee and gave $65,000 to the 158th District Committee.

Aug. 8- Lobbyist Lynne Schlosser, one of those charged in the Isle of Capri case, has a long history of ignoring rules.

Aug. 6- Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, arrested in the Isle of Capri incident, is a big-time recipient of casino cash.

Aug. 3- Former Rep. Carl Bearden, now a lobbyist, added retired billionaire and voucher supporter Rex Sinquefield to his client list.