Thread by @BigElad

Friends,

I have a serious update for you.

As many of you know, I filed two lawsuits to fight political corruption in Missouri. #moleg #mogov #missouri

I filed the first in June 2018. I sued a fake charity that our former Governor used to hide the names of political donors. I filed a second one in October 2018 after our current Governor refused to freely turn over communications between our government and dark money operatives.

I’ve been fighting these cases on my own, sometimes from the trunk of my car. In my laptop bag, I carry a long receipt from a printshop. It’s for $576.52, the cost to print evidence for just one hearing I’ve funded this past year.

I started my investigation into dark money corruption well before I decided to run for office. I don’t care if the officials are Republicans or Democrats; I think anyone who runs to serve the public should actually serve the public.

In my court fights against dark money and to fix our broken justice system, I have never chosen whom to hold accountable based on party. I wish I could say the same for our current officials.

My investigation into wrongdoing in our government is ongoing. As part of that investigation, I asked the court to issue several subpoenas, including ones for:
Former Governor Eric Greitens;
Dark money operative and candidate for Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams; and

A fundraiser who worked for the dark money group and now works for our current Attorney General’s PAC.
They didn’t want to answer questions. Last week, those three people hired attorneys to try and stop me.

But their attorneys went a step further. They sent another email to me too. This one was a threat.

If I didn’t drop my investigation into these people, their attorneys would ask the court to sanction me, essentially kill my lawsuit, and make me pay the Greitens crew’s attorneys a lot of money. They included the draft motion for sanctions as an attachment.

That’s a pretty scary thing. Sanctions are a big deal. I thought about my career, about how this could impact my future, about my friends and family. I had to choose whether to protect myself and drop the lawsuit – surrender like they wanted me to – or keep fighting.

I chose to keep fighting. This is too important.

So on May 21, I will be in Jefferson City, first arguing against our Attorney General who has asked the court to end my case, and then arguing against dark money lawyers who have asked the court to silence me.

I don’t know what the court will say, but I do know I won’t stop fighting. I didn’t take on this investigation for myself or because I like spending money and hours of the day that I don't have.

I took it on for Missourians everywhere, for folks whose voices are not being heard in our government, for people who want to end the corruption, who want to see us address the real issues facing us, who want to fix our roads and our health care and our schools.

When I think of dark money, I don't think of some accounting trick to cook the books. I think of my kids from the last 11 years.

I think about why a 3rd grader once told me that school didn't matter because she didn't have a chance anyway. I think about a parent who was working a third job cleaning the Attorney General's Office late at night so she could feed her daughter.

I don't leave my team in the middle of a fight, and I will not leave you. Our home is too important to me, to us. I'll be there on May 21.

Whatever happens, please know that one of the greatest honors in my career has been the opportunity to get to represent you. I hope I'll do you proud.

You can help too.

1) Sign up to volunteer. We are organizing a massive Missourian-to-Missourian education push around dark money and government ethics reform. We need your help.
Sign up at: eladgross.org/get-involved

2) Fund our dark money education and outreach work. Many folks around Missouri are donating $5, $20, and $50 per month to make sure we can organize Missourians and take back our state. Ask your friends to help too.
Donate at: secure.actblue.com/donate/elad

3) Share our work. Send your friends emails and texts, share this on Facebook and Twitter, and let folks know about our important work to fix our state.