Why It Matters
A court filing by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins disputes allegations from former election integrity director Nicholas La Strada. Hoskins also asked the court to remove him personally from the case.
What Happened
La Strada alleged he was fired after reporting illegal and unethical conduct. He also alleged that Hoskins’ staff worked together to create a false whistleblower submission for use in a federal trial.
La Strada further alleged that Hoskins ordered a retabulation of write-in votes in Marshall after a complaint involving this year’s April election.
Hoskins denied many of the allegations in a response filed last week. He said La Strada’s disclosures were “materially false and a reasonable person would know they are false.”
Hoskins said La Strada’s administrative access to Missouri’s Centralized Voter Registration system was revoked because of alleged changes to voter audit logs. He also said La Strada’s concerns about an affidavit prepared for a federal trial were unprompted and that the affidavit was materially accurate.
Hoskins said La Strada could not have known the affidavit’s contents before his termination. He said La Strada was terminated after allegedly refusing to meet with the deputy general counsel to prepare for a hearing.
Hoskins’ attorneys also cited alleged absenteeism, poor communication, unprofessional conduct, insubordination and other misconduct. They disputed La Strada’s decision to name Hoskins and Missouri as defendants and moved to strike Hoskins’ name from the litigation.
By the Numbers
This year’s April election — election referenced in the write-in-vote retabulation allegation
Last week — time Hoskins filed his court response
Zoom Out
The lawsuit places disputes over election administration, voter audit records and the preparation of a federal-trial affidavit before the court. The filings present conflicting accounts of La Strada’s termination and the events preceding it.
What’s Next
The court will consider Hoskins’ request to remove his name from the case along with the broader allegations and defenses presented in the filings.