Jefferson City, MO – On August 19, 2025, Governor Mike Kehoe appointed Catherine Hanaway as Missouri’s Attorney General, replacing Andrew Bailey, who resigned to join the FBI as co-deputy director. Hanaway, a seasoned attorney and former Missouri House Speaker, brings a robust resume, but her appointment has ignited fierce criticism from grassroots conservatives. Her legal work for controversial corporate clients, notably the Grain Belt Express project and Bayer (parent company of Monsanto), coupled with praise from liberal Democrats, raises alarms about her alignment with Missouri’s rural communities, property rights, and conservative values. Critics argue that her record reflects an establishment figure more in sync with corporate interests and liberal priorities than the conservative base. This exposé dives into these ties, amplifying real voices from Missouri conservatives, to reveal potential conflicts in her new role as the state’s top law enforcer.
With online searches for “Catherine Hanaway Missouri Attorney General criticism” surging, grassroots skepticism about her corporate lobbying and perceived liberal leanings dominates conservative discourse on platforms like X. The House Minority Caucus, led by Democrats, has praised her appointment, with House Minority Leader Ashley Aune calling her “a solid upgrade as attorney general” over her predecessor, Andrew Bailey, in a statement released on August 19, 2025. This endorsement from liberal Democrats, who see her as a restorer of “integrity” to the office, starkly contrasts with conservative distrust, suggesting Hanaway may be more aligned with progressive elites than the grassroots base. Can Hanaway serve Missourians impartially, or will her corporate ties and bipartisan appeal undermine conservative trust? We uncover the evidence.
Catherine Hanaway: Establishment Powerhouse or Corporate and Liberal Ally?
Catherine Hanaway, 61, has a formidable background in Missouri politics and law. Elected to the Missouri House in 1998, she served as Speaker from 2003 to 2005, guiding Republicans to a historic majority. From 2005 to 2009, she was U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, overseeing thousands of cases, including complex white-collar crimes. As a partner at Husch Blackwell, a leading Missouri law firm, she has focused on government compliance, investigations, and high-stakes litigation.
Yet, her post-public service career at Husch Blackwell draws sharp scrutiny from grassroots conservatives. Hanaway’s representation of major corporations in contentious issues often clashes with conservative principles like property rights and distrust of corporate-government collusion. Her unsuccessful runs for statewide office—losing the 2004 Secretary of State race to Robin Carnahan and finishing fourth in the 2016 GOP gubernatorial primary—have fueled doubts about her appeal to the populist base. Endorsements from establishment figures like former U.S. Senator Kit Bond and Congresswoman Ann Wagner, combined with praise from liberal Democrats, further paint her as part of the GOP elite, more comfortable with bipartisan elites than grassroots conservatives.
On X, conservatives searching “Catherine Hanaway corporate ties Missouri conservatives” voice concerns about her ties to clients leveraging government influence and her alignment with liberal priorities, raising fears of conflicts as she assumes the Attorney General’s mantle.
Grain Belt Express: Championing Eminent Domain Over Rural Rights
Hanaway’s most polarizing role has been as lead counsel for Grain Belt Express, an 800-mile clean-energy transmission line project by Invenergy, stretching across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Designed to deliver wind power, the project has faced fierce opposition from Missouri farmers, landowners, and conservative groups over its use of eminent domain to seize private property.
Hanaway defended Grain Belt Express against an investigation by former Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who accused the project of misleading consumers about energy delivery and abusing eminent domain. In July 2025, she filed a petition to quash Bailey’s civil investigative demands, dismissing the probe as “unlawful and politically motivated.” Her stance has drawn condemnation from figures like U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, who criticized the project for infringing on property rights, a core conservative value.
The Missouri Farm Bureau and rural landowners have battled Grain Belt Express for over a decade, citing its threat to family farms and local agriculture. Despite claims of $18 billion in utility savings for Missourians, critics highlight the project’s reliance on forced land acquisitions, which many see as corporate overreach. Hanaway’s recusal from the ongoing Grain Belt investigation as Attorney General acknowledges the conflict but does little to ease grassroots concerns.
Grassroots conservatives have taken to X to express their outrage:
Congratulations. I hope the GOP has a plan to make appointee Catherine Hanaway a one-term AG. Her highest profile client in recent years has been Grain Belt Express, a planned transmission line designed to transport electricity generated by wind farms in Kansas across four states, including Missouri. Doesn’t sound like a friend to farmers.
— Lynne Sczruba (@AZLady1916), August 19, 2025
I take back the nice things I said about Kehoe He just appointed this climate change Activist as Missouri’s new Attorney General .I seriously Wanna throw up !!!!
— Kelly Evans (@MidwestWunder), August 19, 2025
For those searching “Catherine Hanaway Grain Belt Express Missouri criticism,” her defense of a project seen as trampling rural rights fuels perceptions of betrayal among conservative voters.
Bayer and Monsanto’s Legacy: Lobbying for Pesticide Protections Amid Cancer Concerns
Hanaway’s ties to Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, have also ignited grassroots backlash. As a Husch Blackwell partner, she lobbied for Missouri House Bill 2763 (HB 2763) in 2024, a bill designed to shield pesticide manufacturers like Bayer from lawsuits alleging failure to warn about health risks from products like Roundup, whose active ingredient, glyphosate, has been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma in over 100,000 lawsuits, resulting in a $10 billion settlement by Bayer in 2020.
On May 6, 2024, Hanaway testified before the Missouri Senate in support of HB 2763, representing Bayer directly. The bill, which passed the House but stalled in the Senate, would grant immunity to companies if their product labels comply with EPA standards, even as evidence of health risks mounts. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich slammed the legislation as prioritizing corporate profits over public safety, a sentiment echoed by grassroots conservatives wary of Big Pharma and agrochemical influence.
Although Hanaway’s involvement came after Monsanto’s merger into Bayer, her advocacy ties her to Monsanto’s controversial legacy, exposed in the Monsanto Papers, which revealed efforts to manipulate science on glyphosate’s safety. This connection resonates strongly in Missouri, where Monsanto was headquartered, and fuels distrust among conservatives, particularly those aligned with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which prioritizes reducing exposure to harmful chemicals.
X users have been vocal in their criticism:
Hanaway and @GovMikeKehoe are bad for Missouri. Hanaway our new AG supports Glyphosate. They really hate us that much.
— My Own Thoughts (@MyOwnTh51677338), August 19, 2025
Catherine Hanaway: Kehoe’s pick is a slap in the face to Missouri. We don’t need a WashU board member who trains abortion doctors, mutilates kids, votes against right to carry, and cheers on glyphosate. Missouri deserves better
— Carlisle (@carlydelight), August 19, 2025
Kehoe’s pick for AG isn’t for Missourians it’s for Bayer. She defended glyphosate in court, downplayed cancer risks, and bragged about protecting the company from “billions” in lawsuits.
— Carlisle (@carlydelight), August 19, 2025
4/ Now Kehoe has appointed her Missouri’s next Attorney General. She says she will recuse herself from Bayer cases, but her record is clear: she defended Roundup, downplayed cancer risks, and fought to protect corporate profits. That is not justice. That is corporate capture.
— Carlisle (@carlydelight), August 19, 2025
Searches for “Catherine Hanaway Bayer Monsanto Roundup criticism Missouri” highlight a narrative of prioritizing corporate immunity over public health, clashing with grassroots demands for accountability.
Broader Anti-Grassroots Ties: Elite Fees and Political Networks
Hanaway’s broader Husch Blackwell tenure amplifies concerns about her corporate leanings. Her billing rate of $793 per hour in a 2013 case underscores her status as a legal elite, far removed from the concerns of average Missourians. Her lobbying activities, including ties to nonprofit groups influencing Missouri policy, have drawn accusations of perpetuating a “revolving door” between politics and big business.
Conservatives on X have called out these establishment connections:
The bad news is Kehoe gets to appoint someone. Hanaway is a very poor choice. She is in deep with Roy Blunt and handing over our rights to corporations. The better options are much lower on that list.
— 2Cook (@taxgirl13), August 19, 2025
Well the political Elites are safe because she’s not going to prosecute political crimes in Missouri. Ugh. Keep an eye on this Missouri
— Accountability Warrior (@BeAccountable4u), August 19, 2025
Hanaway is awful pick. She is not Pro Trump, not America First, not what Missouri needs. Doesn’t seem to bright. Kehoe hates Missouri that’s for sure.
— My Own Thoughts (@MyOwnTh51677338), August 19, 2025
She’s a Nikki Hailey, not pro Trump, not America First. Horrible pick. In this day and time, it should have been a strong America First male. We have a gov that hates Missouri and a ag that hates Trump and they both hate Missourians. She will be primaried.
— My Own Thoughts (@MyOwnTh51677338), August 19, 2025
Don’t get your hopes up. Kehoe hates Missouri. She is terrible Wrong Way Hanaway. Ugh. She is not America First. He’s failed.
— My Own Thoughts (@MyOwnTh51677338), August 19, 2025
Missouri will miss him and we just scored a lost. Kehoe chose Catherine Hanaway to be ag. We went downhill fast.
— My Own Thoughts (@MyOwnTh51677338), August 19, 2025
Searches for “Catherine Hanaway corporate lobbying Missouri conservative criticism” reflect fears of an Attorney General more aligned with elites than the populist base.
Grassroots Uproar: A Call for Accountability
The backlash from Missouri’s grassroots conservatives is palpable, with rural voters and MAGA supporters decrying Hanaway’s appointment as a betrayal of their values. Her ties to Grain Belt Express and Bayer, combined with praise from liberal Democrats, are seen as emblematic of a broader disconnect from the priorities of property rights, public health, and anti-corporate sentiment. The House Minority Caucus’s endorsement, with Ashley Aune stating, “Catherine Hanaway will be a vast improvement over her incompetent and unprofessional predecessor… House Democrats believe she can restore integrity to the office,” underscores her appeal to progressive elites, further alienating conservatives who see her as out of touch with their America First agenda.
As Hanaway pledges to fight crime and protect constitutional rights, her corporate history and bipartisan support raise questions about her impartiality. With her term running until 2028 and plans to seek election thereafter, these criticisms could shape her political future.
Missouri’s Crossroads: Demanding Transparency
Catherine Hanaway’s appointment as Attorney General places Missouri at a crossroads. Her extensive legal experience is undeniable, but her corporate ties—to Grain Belt Express, Bayer, and broader lobbying networks—coupled with her embrace by liberal Democrats, cast a shadow over her ability to serve all Missourians. Grassroots conservatives demand a leader untainted by corporate influence and aligned with their values, prioritizing property rights and public health over big business and bipartisan elitism.
As searches for “Hanaway Grain Belt Express Bayer criticism Missouri conservatives” grow, this exposé underscores the need for scrutiny. Missourians must decide if Hanaway’s record aligns with their values or signals a continuation of establishment dominance.
