Jeff Smith
The first stems from an initial investigation into his failed 2004 campaign for U.S. Congress. The second charge comes from a follow-up investigation into his 2004 campaign conducted this year.
According to a breaking-news item on stltoday.com, Smith admitted that he authorized a "close friend" to raise money for a committee that mailed out anonymous postcards attacking challenger Russ Carnahan, who ultimately won the 2004 congressional election.
Smith also resigned his seat in the Missouri Senate today. In a statement, Smith said: "This event has humbled me. I have done some significant introspection, and that has been the hardest part, coming to terms with my own poor judgements and mistakes. I apologize to my constituents, my staff, my Senate colleagues, my supporters and to Congressman Carnahan."
Milton "Skip" Ohlsen was the political consultant who mailed out the postcards on behalf of Smith.
