Akin chides gov't money tied to McCaskill's spouse

But McCaskill's campaign said Tuesday that none of that money made it to the family's bank accounts.

McCaskill's Republican challenger, Todd Akin, claims the federal payments represent a "conflict of interest" — an assertion McCaskill calls "unfair and distorted."

McCaskill's financial reports show her husband, Joseph Shepard, earned between $400,000 and $2.6 million in income from businesses that received federal housing subsidies from 2007 through 2011.

McCaskill says many of those housing contracts existed before she won election in 2006, and the businesses also derived income from non-government sources. Her campaign says the federal payments went to operate and maintain the facilities.