White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany Tuesday said St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner abused her power while filing charges against local attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey after they held weapons outside their home while protesters were present.
"This is an egregious abuse of power is how the president described it," McEnany said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "What is so wrong here is for this prosecutor to go after them instead of the dozens of violent rioters who have been brought to her attention and referred to her attention, and she hasn't prosecuted them, but boy, will she go after law-abiding citizens. This is politically motivated nonsense."
The McCloskeys, both in their 60s, face felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon and misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree assault. Gardner, the St. Louis circuit attorney, said their actions risked creating a violent situation during a nonviolent protest.
"They were about to have dinner on their front porch when 300 rioters stormed through their gate and trespassed," said McEnany. "According to (Patricia McCloskey) the protesters were shouting 'When you're dead I'm going to come into your house and these are the rooms I'll take over.'"
The couple, she added, "were threatened and they used their weapons in a lawful manner."
Mark McCloskey told Fox News' Tucker Carlson Monday night, after the charges were filed, that it is a "bizarro, upside-down world" when charges can be filed against them.
"The circuit attorney has apparently decided her job as a prosecutor isn't to keep us safe from criminals, but to keep the criminals safe from us," he said. "I've been a little irritated by this process until today. Now I'm just flat out pissed off."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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