‘Breathtaking’ texts suggest GOP senator tapped tax money to power his campaign: experts

A joint investigation by Kansas Reflector and MS NOW suggests Sen. Roger Marshall's office blurred the line between official work and his 2020 Senate campaign, according to records and experts.

The outlets reviewed audio, video, calendars and over 200 text messages from Marshall's first Senate run. Experts told them the materials show Marshall and his chief of staff, Brent Robertson, regularly using congressional staff and taxpayer-funded travel for campaign purposes.

In one text exchange, Robertson booked a single official Chicago meeting and then told staff the whole campaign trip would be labeled "Official," so flights could be paid with public funds. Staff color-coded Marshall's calendar to separate official and political events. On an October 2020 Dallas trip, the campaign covered flights while taxpayers covered a meal, though the only official item on the schedule was a Zoom meeting. A former staffer's text said that when employees objected to billing a campaign trip to the government, Robertson told them to blame him if they were ever deposed.

"Primary purpose is what we say it is," Robertson wrote in one text.

On a $170 dinner for two in Dodge City, Robertson told a staffer he could spend whatever he wanted on meals. Experts noted a statutory cap tied to the GSA daily rate, $55 in Kansas that year. He also said the office needed only one official meeting per trip to justify travel.

Craig Holman of Public Citizen called the accounts "breathtaking and seemingly very damning." Campaign finance lawyer Brett Kappel disputed Robertson's reading of the rules, saying exceptions for using official resources on campaigns are narrow.

Experts also flagged an October 2020 all-staff Zoom call that drew both congressional and campaign aides, using official calendars and equipment. On it, Marshall discussed a campaign sign shortage, what door-knockers were hearing, and talking points for voters worried about health care. His then-legislative director texted a colleague that he had objected to what he called illegal activity.

Marshall's campaign lawyer didn't answer detailed questions. He said the campaign complies with FEC and Senate ethics rules and blamed a "disgruntled employee."

Kedric Payne of the Campaign Legal Center said the allegations warrant a credible explanation, or a Senate Ethics investigation.

Marshall is in a race with Democrat Adam Hamilton that polling shows is essentially tied. He has been hit with a number of other problematic allegations, including that his medical practice sued former patients over trivial amounts of debt, and that his campaign stiffed a bakery that provided nearly $700 worth of cookies and treats.