Missouri pays pandemic consultant more than $500K

Missouri paid a COVID-19 pandemic consulting firm more than $500,000 in federal funding, despite Gov. Mike Parson saying earlier this year that an independent foundation was picking up the bill, according to media reports.

The Associated Press cited a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report that examined state payroll records. The records show Missouri used $522,000 in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds to pay the McChrystal Group for pandemic-related costs.

Parson in early May said the Missouri Foundation for Health would pay up to $600,000 to the consulting firm. He did not mention that the state would take over payments using the federal funding, according to The Associated Press.

Read more from The Associated Press.