Missouri Pays Coronavirus Consulting Firm Another $300,000

Missouri has paid a Virginia-based firm consulting on the state's coronavirus pandemic response another $300,000, raising the total paid to $829,000.

State payroll records show the McChrystal Group is being paid from federal funds designed to help pay for virus-related expenses.

The payouts are part of a controversial no-bid contract under which Missouri agreed to pay the firm $248,000 per month. The contract runs through Dec. 31 and could be worth more than $1.3 million..

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the state payments began less than a month after Gov. Mike Parson said publicly that Missouri was not paying the company.