St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said Tuesday night that the Missouri Governor and President Donald Trump “pursued her” for investigating a couple who guns displayed as they defended their home during a protest of racial injustice. Gardner made the comment after Missouri Governor Mike Parson said the president told him he was concerned that the couple could face criminal charges.
Parson told reporters Tuesday that he had just spoken on the phone with Trump and the United States Attorney General, William Barr. The phone call came amid reports that Gardner, a Democrat, can press charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both lawyers in their 60s. The couple wielded weapons on June 28 as protesters marched through their Renaissance palazzo-style mansion on their way to the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.
A police report said the couple heard a loud commotion and saw a large group of people break through an iron door marked with the “No Trespassing” and “Private Street” signs.
The video showed protesters walking out the door and it was unclear when it was damaged. The widely viewed video showed Mark McCloskey wielding a long-barreled pistol and Patricia McCloskey standing next to him with a pistol.
After the incident, Mark McCloskey told CBS affiliate KMOV-TV that he and his wife, both attorneys, were facing an “angry crowd” on their private street and fearing for their lives. Last week, the police seized a .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle from the couple’s home.
The couple’s actions have provoked contempt and ridicule from some, praise and support from others. Gardner’s spokeswoman said Tuesday that the case is still under investigation and that no charges have been filed.
Parson, a Republican and a staunch advocate of Trump, is also a former sheriff and state representative who co-authored the Missouri “castle doctrine” law that justifies the use of deadly force in protecting the home.
Parson said he told Trump it is difficult to remove an elected official from office in Missouri, although he did not say whether Trump had asked if Gardner could be removed.
“I think the president did not like what he was seeing and the way people are treated,” Parson said. “I think you will see some kind of action.”
In an interview Tuesday with Townhall Media, Trump defended the couple, saying “they were going to be mistreated if they were lucky” and that their home would be ransacked and likely burned. He called talking about prosecuting them as a disgrace.
It’s unclear what Trump or Barr could do, but Parson said he hopes they both “see it.”
Gardner said in a statement Tuesday that he has not decided whether to press charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey. She also said that Trump and Parson continue to “play politics by handling this issue, spreading misinformation and distorting the truth.”
“It is incredible that the Missouri state governor seeks the advice of one of the most divisive leaders of our generation to dominate the discretion of a locally elected prosecutor,” Gardner said, adding that “it is also incredible that at a time when our nation is dealing with a deadly virus that is spreading rapidly and our state reported a record number of new infections, these dog whistle attacks are being launched against me. “
Gardner became the first St. Louis black circuit attorney when she took office after winning the 2016 election. Her 3 and a half years in office have received strong support from the black community, especially for reform efforts. aimed at reducing incarceration and stopping the prosecution of low-level crimes such as possession of marijuana.
But he also mocks others, accusing her of being weak in crime and motivated by politics.
In 2018, Gardner charged the then-governor. Eric Greitens with a crime of invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a compromising photo of a woman during an extramarital affair. Greitens, a Republican, denied the charge and the charge was eventually dropped, but resigned in June of that year.
St. Louis ranks annually among the nation’s deadliest cities, and 2020 is on the way to one of its deadliest years. Parson is planning a special session to address violent crime in St. Louis and Kansas City, and said Gardner should also focus on crime, not the McCloskeys.
“That couple had every right to protect their property,” said Parson.
Trump “understands the situation in Missouri, he understands the situation in St. Louis and how out of control it is for a prosecutor to leave violent criminals and not do their job and try to attack law-abiding citizens,” Parson said. said.
“The president said that he would do everything in his power to help with this situation, that he would take steps to do that. I am grateful that he is getting involved in the situation, I am grateful that he will resist for the people for his rights. legal and we’re going to move forward in this state, “Parson said.
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