Missouri Ethics Commission tosses complaint against Hawley

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. � The Missouri Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley over pro bono legal services he received in 2016.

The complaint dismissed Thursday was filed by Democratic attorney Jane Dueker. She alleged Hawley should have reported pro bono legal services as a gift or an in-kind donation to his 2016 attorney general campaign.

A Washington, D.C.-based law firm had represented Hawley in a lawsuit over a Sunshine request for his university emails when he was still a University of Missouri School of Law associate professor.

The commission decided Hawley didn�t violate campaign finance rules because the firm represented him in his capacity as a professor. It ruled the pro bono legal services don�t constitute a gift.

Ethics complaints are commonly filed against candidates.