Blunt's Eckersley Scandal, Day Thirty-two

It now appears that in addition to performing an anticipatory scrubbing of evidence in advance of an investigation of its email practices, the Blunt administration has also become involved in an overt effort to interfere with an investigation by strongarming an investigator out of the picture.

How else to explain the bizarre news today that Daniel Knust has indicated that he'll no longer serve on the team assembled to investigate the governor's record retention policy?  Knust himself cites pressure from Team Blunt as the reason for his stepping aside.  From AP news reports:

Knust says he resigned because Blunt's staff was unhappy with his involvement.

Well isn't that interesting?  I wonder how it is that Knust came to understand that "Blunt's staff" was unhappy with his participation in the investigation?  

­Obviously, someone within Blunt's inner-circle picked up the phone or visited with Knust and let him know just how upset he was making the Governor. Good to know that the assigned duties of taxpayer-funded gubernatorial staff now include hands-on interference with special investigators who are pursuing probable violations of state law.  Matt Blunt truly has been a trailblazer with regard to new, exciting and heretofore unseen uses for official staffers.

And this practice of leaning upon investigators is, of course, nothing new.  In fact, the Governor's campaign actually hired a noted criminal defense attorney last year to lean on the US Attorney who was investigating the administration's fee office practices.  "Blunt's staff" certainly seems to be "unhappy" with anyone who looks too closely at what goes on behind its doors.

Based upon all we've seen, one principle that we can be sure Matt Blunt follows religiously is that no investigation (at least that involves him) should be carried through to its intended conclusion.  These are clumsy and likely criminal attempts to obstruct justice and should be viewed and treated accordingly.