Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., demanded legal action this week after a hidden camera was planted in one of her campaign offices by an organization linked to a right-wing provocateur.
McCaskill's campaign wants her Republican opponent for the U.S. Senate, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whether James O'Keefe's Project Veritas violated the state's Merchandising Practices Act with the surreptitious recording. The law prohibits misleading and deceptive business practices.
In the video, staffers discuss how Planned Parenthood masks its campaign contributions to McCaskill so as to not alienate pro-life Democrats in the state.
"They go through other means to support and give money. They just don't directly give money from their PACs," one aide said.
Marco Bruno, a spokesman for Project Veritas Action Fund, told the Kansas City Star the 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization would “fully cooperate with any investigation [that] may be initiated.”
Hawley challenged McCaskill via Twitter to provide evidence because "accusing people of crimes is a serious thing.”
"Otherwise, please stop politicizing the legal process for your reelection,” he tweeted.
Project Veritas also released recordings of McCaskill talking about her support of gun control and former President Barack Obama.
McCaskill's campaign manager David Kirby told ABC-affiliate KMBC 9 News McCaskill had disclosed at least $5,000 in contributions from Planned Parenthood this election cycle.