Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Trump is focused on and concerned about the possibility that a white St. Louis couple could face criminal charges.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said late Tuesday that Missouri’s governor and President Donald Trump „came after“ her for investigating a couple who displayed guns as they defended their home during a racial injustice protest. Gardner made the comment after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said the president told him he was concerned about the possibility that the couple could face criminal charges.
Parson told reporters Tuesday that he had just been on the phone with Mr. Trump and U. S. Attorney General William Barr. The phone call came amid reports that Gardner, a Democrat, may file charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both of them lawyers in their 60s. The couple wielded guns on June 28 as protesters marched by their Renaissance palazzo-style mansion on the 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 an iron gate marked with „No Trespassing“ and „Private Street“ signs.
Video showed protesters walking through the gate and it was unclear when it was damaged. The widely viewed video showed Mark McCloskey wielding a long-barreled gun and Patricia McCloskey standing next to him waving a handgun.
Mark McCloskey told CBS affiliate KMOV-TV after the incident that he and his wife, who are both lawyers, were facing an „angry mob“ on their private street and feared for their lives. Last week, police seized a semi-automatic.223 caliber rifle from the couple’s home.
The actions of the couple have drawn scorn and ridicule from some, praise and support from others.
