Nixon administration stonewalls News-Leader investigation into e. coli followup

After nearly eight years of being in the ready following the 9-11 attacks, we have finally uncovered a terrorist in Missouri.

His name is Chad LIvengood and he is the political reporter for the Springfield News-Leader.

The evidence against LIvengood is strong, in fact it is Livengood himself who provides it in his article in this morning's News-Leader:

Missouri Capitol Police have cited a post-Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism exemption in the state's open records law in denying the News-Leader access to surveillance tape footage of the entrances of the governor's office.

Under a Sunshine Law request for public records, the newspaper sought to inspect archived video footage during various dates in June from cameras aimed at two public entrances in the governor's second floor office in the state Capitol in Jefferson City.

The News-Leader is seeking access to the video as part of its ongoing investigation into what role -- if any -- Nixon's office played in the Department of Natural Resources withholding a report for four weeks in June showing dangerously high levels of E. coli in Lake of the Ozarks.

The refusal to turn over the surveillance footage comes just a few days after the News-Leader revealed that e-mails show DNR official Joe Bindbeutel planned to take the e. coli information to a meeting with the governor. Instead, the governor indicated, Bindbeutel was meeting with an energy lobbyist.

Claiming terrorism exemptions to deny the surveillance footage to the News-Leader and using a lobbyist for a cover story gives the impression that more than one Nixon knows his way around a cover-up.