MN-08 Republican candidate Pete Stauber is in hot water again. Yesterday, a St. Louis County employee filed a complaint in light of Pete Stauber using County resources to promote his campaign. The complaint highlights Stauber’s campaign promoting a St. Louis County roundtable with former NRCC Chair Rep. Greg Walden, that was billed as an official “county event.”
In their response to the press, Pete Stauber and St. Louis County officials can’t get their stories straight:
“While we made it clear to press from the beginning my campaign organized the meeting, other county commissioners were invited and I should have made a clear distinction for the county when it promoted the worthwhile event. I regret the confusion…”– Pete Stauber told Fox 21 news.
The county administrator’s office publicized the event in advance, billing it as “Commissioner Pete Stauber” having invited Rep. Walden to Duluth.……“Regardless of how others might characterize this meeting, this was an opportunity for St. Louis County to showcase and tour the ClearPath Clinic and the six-bed opioid withdrawal unit that is being funded with money made available by the (federal) 21st Century Cures Act and other state and county resources,” said a one-page statement from county spokesperson Dana Kazel.
DCCC Spokesperson Rachel Irwin issued the following statement in response:
“Somebody’s lying in St. Louis County. Pete Stauber and county officials can’t seem to get their stories straight, but here are the facts: Stauber was caught red-handed using official resources to campaign with Rep. Walden. Stauber has now been caught twice cheating taxpayers for political gain and is clearly running to fit right in with the GOP’s culture of corruption. Stauber must answer for his emails and this gross misuse of taxpayer dollars.”
WDIO (ABC): St. Louis County Employee Files Complaint Regarding Commissioner Pete Stauber
Fox 21: St. Louis County Employee Files Complaint, Wants Investigation on Commissioner Pete Stauber
Duluth News Tribune: Double standard for Stauber? Candidate regrets ‘confusion’ about county event
Star Tribune: U.S. House candidate Pete Stauber used government email for political correspondence