JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s attorney general on Monday defended how his office handled consumer fraud complaints against companies that have lobbied him directly and contributed to his political campaigns.
Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat, was called to testify before an investigative committee in the Missouri House of Representatives in response to a New York Times article that examined the emerging practice of corporations’ lobbying state attorneys general, giving generously to their campaigns and funding their lavish travel.
According to the article, Mr. Koster shut down an investigation into 5-Hour Energy after a personal appeal from the company’s lobbyist during a conference at a resort in California. The article also said Mr. Koster had settled a case against Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company and a major campaign donor, on terms more favorable to the company than had been reached in other states.
“Let me be clear,” he said. “They were not.”