Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and Josh Hawley are locked in a tight race, though Republicans believe it has shifted in their favor in recent weeks. | Scott Olson/Getty Images Elections McCaskill accuses Hawley of 'potentially illegal' behavior

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday her opponent Josh Hawley's use of political consultants in his state attorney general's office was "inappropriate and potentially illegal."

The Kansas City Star reported Wednesday that within days of taking office, consultants from a Washington-based firm that now represents Hawley's Senate campaign were working with his official staff to help shape messaging and strategy. The report suggested that political consultants gave direct guidance to official staff members and conducted meetings with them in Hawley's office in the state Supreme Court building in Jefferson City.


McCaskill said during a conference call with reporters to highlight the article that Hawley had crossed a "huge red line" and set a "new standard for hypocrisy."

"This is information that is being given by people who worked in that office who I'm sure were struck by how inappropriate and potentially illegal it was to have politically paid operatives embedded in the state official office for purposes of promoting Josh Hawley politically, both in the state of Missouri and nationally," said the Missouri Democrat.

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A spokesperson for Hawley's campaign did not return a request for comment about the Kansas City Star report, or about McCaskill's comments. Hawley dismissed the findings, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“We follow all applicable laws in the attorney general’s office,” Hawley said Wednesday. “Missouri specifically allows the state committee to spend money in support of the office.”

Mary Compton, a spokeswoman for Hawley's attorney general office, said in a statement that the allegations are "absurdly false."

"No taxpayer resources were expended for campaign purposes," Compton said. "No government employee participated in political activity."

McCaskill and Hawley are locked in a tight race, though Republicans believe it has shifted in their favor in recent weeks. McCaskill on Thursday called it "flat tied" and said she thought the late report on Hawley's attorney general's office could potentially sway undecided voters.

"What I really think this incident with Josh Hawley shows is that Missourians don't know him well enough," McCaskill said. "There's obviously things that we don't know and I think, I hope voters think about that before they cast their ballot on Tuesday."