Missouri ordered to pay $242K for open records law violations while Josh Hawley was attorney general

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge has ordered the Missouri attorney general’s office to pay $242,000 in legal fees for violations of the open records law that occurred when current U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley served in the office. Hawley, a Republican, was accused of withholding documents from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee while he successfully campaigned for the Senate in 2018. Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in November 2022 that the attorney general’s office should pay $12,000 and legal fees. On Wednesday, he ordered the office to pay $242,000 in fees. Kyle Plotkin, a Hawley spokesman, said Democrats should return the money and apologize for continuing the lawsuit after the documents were produced.