Beyond the 806
GOP candidate for Missouri House charged with conspiring to plant cocaine on opponent - CBS News
Thomas Ross, a 37-year-old Republican candidate for the Missouri House, faces a federal charge that he directed his former campaign manager to plant cocaine and amphetamines on a political opponent he beat by just 33 votes. The Justice Department announced Thursday that Ross is charged with one count of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance.
The Justice Department announced Thursday that Ross is charged with one count of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance. The alleged target was Louise Secker, who lost to Ross in the Republican primary for Missouri's House District 161 last month. The scheme never reached Secker because the former campaign manager, whose name was not released, contacted the Joplin Police Department instead of carrying it out.
The charge comes from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri. If the allegations hold up, the plan was apparently to eliminate a rival he was barely beating anyway.
For anyone watching Missouri politics, this is about as brazen as it gets. A candidate allegedly tried to have a competitor framed with drug charges rather than simply outrun her at the ballot box, and the person he trusted to do it turned him in to police instead.
Common questions
What is Thomas Ross charged with?
- Thomas Ross, a 37-year-old Republican candidate for Missouri House District 161, is charged with one federal count of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance. Prosecutors say he directed his former campaign manager to plant cocaine and amphetamines on his primary opponent, Louise Secker.
Did the drug planting scheme actually happen?
- No, the scheme never reached the intended target. Ross's former campaign manager contacted the Joplin Police Department instead of carrying out the plan. Secker had lost the Republican primary to Ross by just 33 votes before the plot was reported to authorities.
Who is investigating the case against Thomas Ross?
- The charge comes from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri, announced by the Justice Department. Ross allegedly targeted Louise Secker, his opponent in the Republican primary for Missouri House District 161, which he won by only 33 votes.
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