JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Retired investment executive Rex Sinquefield, one of Missouri's most prominent and prolific political donors, says Gov. Jay Nixon is an "idiot" for vetoing an income tax cut that ultimately was enacted anyway by state lawmakers.
Sinquefield, who has poured millions of dollars into efforts to cut or eliminate Missouri's income tax, made his comments about Nixon during a forum hosted Thursday by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Nixon's office had no immediate response Friday.
The forum focused on how state policies can affect the wealth of residents. Besides Sinquefield, it featured Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, economist Arthur Laffer and Travis Brown, a political operative who lobbies on Sinquefield's behalf.
Sinquefield, the co-founder of the Austin, Texas-based Dimensional Fund Advisors investment firm, opened his portion of the presentation by praising Brownback for enacting recent income tax cuts and by criticizing Nixon.
"Kansas has three great things going for it. First of all, it has a great governor - we all agree with that. Secondly, it has a great tax policy. And thirdly and most important, Missouri has an idiot for a governor. Am I allowed to say that in public?" Sinquefield said in remarks that were recorded on video and posted online by the Heritage Foundation.
Sinquefield spokeswoman Laura Slay said in an email Friday that Sinquefield "regrets his personal comments about Gov. Nixon" but added that "his remarks were born out of frustration."
Sinquefield told attendees at the Heritage Foundation forum that he and Laffer spent an hour-and-a-half with Nixon, a couple of years ago, trying to persuade the Democratic governor to support an income tax cut. But they were unsuccessful.
Nixon, a Democrat, vetoed an income-tax-cut bill last year while citing concerns it could jeopardize funding for public schools and other essential state services. Legislators were unable to override that veto.
This year, Nixon again vetoed an income tax cut measure. But the Republican-led Legislature overrode that veto earlier this month to enact a measure that will gradually reduce Missouri's top individual income tax rate from 6 percent to 5.5 percent and phase in a special deduction for business income reported on personal tax returns. The incremental tax cuts will begin in 2017, but each reduction will occur only if state revenues continue to grow by $150 million over their high mark from the previous three years.
Sinquefield repeated his criticism of Nixon later in his remarks while also praising his own political team for helping enact the tax cut.
"That idiot vetoed an income tax cut - the one thing that is known to work to help establish growth" in the economy, Sinquefield said. But "Thank God for Travis Brown, because he and his political army ... helped get the General Assembly to override his veto."
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