Koster cleared of laundering charge

JEFFERSON CITY — Attorney General-elect Chris Koster won't face any action from the Missouri Ethics Commission for complaints about his fundraising.

The six-member Ethics Commission said Wednesday that the case against Koster failed to get enough votes to proceed to a hearing. The vote to go forward was 3-1, with two members recusing themselves. It takes four votes to approve an action.

An ethics complaint filed in June alleged Koster laundered money through various committees to his campaign to get around contribution limits.

Koster, a Democrat, has denied any wrongdoing.

Although publicized Wednesday, the Ethics Commission vote occurred Nov. 6 — two days after Koster defeated Republican Mike Gibbons.

The Ethics Commission's interim executive director, Stacey Heislen, says the vote means the case is over.