Missouri Senator Josh Hawley calls the case against a St.
Louis couple, who went viral after pointing guns at a crowd of protesters, a “textbook” abuse of power.
Hawley said in an interview Tuesday that lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey had “the right to do what they did.”
“Let’s just review the facts: they’re on their own property, they were carrying lawful firearms that they lawfully possessed, and there were trespassers who had broken down a gate and were coming onto their property, and [the] couple said, ‘Get off our property! I mean, don’t hurt us.
Get off of our area!’” the senator said.
“They had every right to do that.”
On top of calling for a probe against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who filed the charges against the couple, Hawley calls to have the case dismissed, calling it “plainly contrary to Missouri law and the US Constitution, and sanction the Circuit Attorney’s Office.”
The McCloskeys said they felt threatened when the protesters broke through the gated community to march towards the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.
Joel Schwartz, the defense attorney representing the McCloskeys, called the charges “disheartening,” and said, “I unequivocally believe no crime was committed.”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson said that he would “without a doubt” pardon the couple should they be convicted.
“I will do everything within the Constitution of the State of Missouri to protect law-abiding citizens and those people are exactly that. They are law-abiding citizens, and they’re being attacked frankly by a political process that’s really unfortunate,” the governor said.
Meanwhile Attorney General Eric Schmitt had asked that the charges be dismissed under the state’s “castle doctrine”, a self-defense law that allows someone to use physical forces to protect their property.
“The right to keep and bear arms is given the highest level of protection in our Constitution and our laws, including the Castle Doctrine, which provides broad rights to Missourians who are protecting their property and lives from those who wish to do them harm,” Schmitt said in a statement.