ERIC GREITENS

COLUMBIA, S.C. — (AP) — A top Republican operative who worked as an adviser on Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's winning campaign has signed on to work for a super PAC urging Florida Gov. Roe ran Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign and has advised numerous other GOP politicians, including Eric Greitens, who resigned as Missouri governor in 2018 amid allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign violations. The move comes as DeSantis readies for an expected 2024 Republican presidential campaign and works on building up a campaign infrastructure to support a potential bid. In an interview, Roe called Youngkin "a unicorn in American politics," as the first GOP governor elected in Virginia in more than a decade.

A top Republican operative who worked as an adviser on Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s winning campaign has signed on to work for a super PAC urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president.

A St. Louis prosecutor is denouncing efforts to oust her from office after a teenage volleyball player from Tennessee lost her legs in a vehicle crash caused by a speeding driver facing felony charges.

The Missouri attorney general called Wednesday for the resignation of St. Louis' elected prosecutor, after a motorist who repeatedly violated his bond conditions on earlier charges crashed and injured a teenage volleyball player from Tennessee, resulting in amputation of both of her legs. The case has renewed criticism of Democratic St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner amid questions about why the driver wasn't behind bars after court records showed more than 50 violations of bond conditions. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, said Gardner must step down by noon Thursday, or he'll try to remove her from office.

Both parties suffer partisan bloodshed. One glorifies it.

Missouri Senate candidate Eric Schmitt (R) is leading Democratic challenger Trudy Busch Valentine by 11 percentage points, according to a new Emerson College Polling-The Hill survey released Friday. The poll of likely Missouri voters showed 49 percent of respondents saying they would support Schmitt if the Senate election were held today compared to Busch Valentine…

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner for mistakes made in the 2018 prosecution of then-Gov. Eric Greitens, but agreed with an advisory counsel's decision that suspension of her law license or disbarment were not merited. The brief ruling from the state High Court echoed a “joint stipulation” agreement reached in April by Gardner and the Missouri Office of Disciplinary Counsel. The agreement, stating that Gardner’s conduct “was negligent or perhaps reckless, but not intentional," called for a written reprimand, but it was ultimately up to the Missouri Supreme Court to issue a ruling.

A 74-year-old retired schoolteacher from a New York City suburb was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday for mailing dozens of violent threats to LGBTQ affiliated individuals, groups and businesses over several years.

Republican leaders got their wish with the defeat of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens in the U.S. Senate primary.

Schmitt had more votes than U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler and Greitens combined, turning what was expected to be a tight race into a blowout.

Takeaways from election results Tuesday night:RED-STATE KANSAS REJECTS ANTI-ABORTION AMENDMENTKansas may seem like an unlikely place for abortion rights supporters to notch a major victory. But on Tuesday, voters in the conservative state resoundingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the Legislature to ban abortion. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, has warned that the Republican-led Legislature's efforts to ban abortion would hurt the state. Sheena Greitens said in a sworn statement that Eric Greitens had abused her and one of their young sons. And while many in Missouri wrote him off, one important political figure didn't: Donald Trump, who mused publicly about Greitens' attributes.

"The Daily Show" host is not a fan of the former president's latest endorsement.

Takeaways from election results Tuesday night:RED-STATE KANSAS REJECTS ANTI-ABORTION AMENDMENTKansas may seem like an unlikely place for abortion rights supporters to notch a major victory. The amendment would have allowed the Legislature to overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court decision declaring access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, has warned that the Republican-led Legislature's efforts to ban abortion would hurt the state. Sheena Greitens said in a sworn statement that Eric Greitens had abused her and one of their young sons. And while many in Missouri wrote him off, one important political figure didn't: Donald Trump, who mused publicly about Greitens' attributes.

APTOPIX Election 2022 Senate Missouri Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt takes the stage to thank his supporters in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate during his election night party at the Sheraton Westport Lakeside Chalet in Maryland Heights, Mo., on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. — (AP) — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday with surprising ease, ending months of worry among GOP leaders that scandal-scarred former Gov. Eric Greitens might win the primary and jeopardize what should be a reliably red seat in November. Greitens told a downcast crowd in another St. Louis suburb to “go home with strength and pride.”"God has a plan,” Greitens said. On Monday, former President Donald Trump expressed support for “ERIC,” presumably meaning either Schmitt or Greitens, without picking between them.

In one of the biggest days of this year's primary campaign season, red-state Kansas rejected a measure that would have made it easier to restrict abortion, and voters in Missouri repudiated a scandal-tarred former governor seeking a Senate seat.

Election 2022 Senate Missouri FILE - Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speaks during a news conference in St. Louis, Aug. 6, 2020. — (AP) — Trudy Busch Valentine, a nurse and philanthropist who entered Missouri’s Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate race late, will move on to November after defeating Marine veteran Lucas Kunce and nine others on Tuesday. Valentine, who so far has largely self-funded her campaign, will be the underdog against Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt in November in red-state Missouri. (AP) — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday with surprising ease, ending months of worry among GOP leaders that scandal-scarred former Gov. Eric Greitens might win the primary but jeopardize what should be a reliably red seat in November.

Election 2022 Senate Missouri FILE - Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speaks during a news conference in St. Louis, Aug. 6, 2020. — (AP) — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt defeated scandal-scarred former Gov. Eric Greitens and 19 others Tuesday in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Eric Greitens denied the allegations and accused his ex-wife of colluding with Republican stalwarts such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to sabotage his campaign. On Monday, Trump expressed support for “ERIC,” presumably meaning either Schmitt or Greitens, without picking between them.

Trump was right where he liked to be — at the center of the action with the attention of the entire political universe, though this time it was not at all to clear that he held a winning position.

Missouri Republicans picked Attorney General Eric Schmitt to advance in the state's unpredictable U.S. Senate race, a move that seems likely to keep the seat out of reach for Democrats.

The results mark a major defeat for Greitens, who fully embraced former President Donald Trump as he looked to claw his way back to the political fore.

Election 2022 Senate Missouri Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens applies an "I Voted" sticker after casting his ballot in Missouri's primary election Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, in Innsbrook, Mo. Greitens is running as a Republican for the U.S. Senate being vacated Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who is not seeking re-election. Eric Greitens hopes to complete a stunning political comeback on Tuesday as voters narrow the field for a pivotal spot in the U.S. Senate. She cited one instance where Eric Greitens allegedly slapped their then-3-year-old son's face and yanked him by the hair.

The former president has often made intentionally blurry claims meant to appeal to both sides of his coalition. His Missouri endorsement perfects the tactic.

Long, an early Trump endorser, added to the odd confusion after Trump offered a vague show of support in the race.

Tuesday's Missouri Senate primary has two Erics leading in polling, currently state attorney general Eric Schmitt and ex-governor Eric Greitens. (A third Eric, Eric McElroy, is also on the ballot , but is a longshot candidate.) President Trump said it best when he characterized Schmitt’s campaign as ‘great dishonesty in politics.’ — Eric Greitens (@EricGreitens) August 1, 2022🚨ENDORSEMENT—PRESIDENT TRUMP🚨I’m grateful for President Trump’s endorsement. Ads in the race have hammered Eric Greitens on his past, as well as positive comments he made about China . “My Office has been fighting to uphold the sanctity of life since I became attorney general, culminating in today’s momentous court ruling and attorney general opinion.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has defeated scandal-scarred former Gov. Eric Greitens and 19 others in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

On the eve of primary day and after withholding his backing for most of the primary and teasing an endorsement earlier in the day, Trump issued the statement with just a first name.

On the eve of primary day and after withholding his backing for most of the primary and teasing an endorsement earlier in the day, Trump issued the statement with just a first name.

The former president’s unusual endorsement added more uncertainty to an already tumultuous race

Trump's influence on the GOP, abortion and resentment over COVID-19 restrictions are all on the ballot on Tuesday.

In Michigan, a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial candidates includes a man charged in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a staunch defender of the 2020 election, is strongly favored to win the Democratic nomination for governor. Several of the remaining candidates have baggage that could hurt in a general election against Democratic Gov. On Tuesday, the former Navy SEAL officer has a chance at redemption in his Republican primary for the seat held by retiring GOP U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt. The GOP winner in Missouri, a solidly Republican state, will be favored in November.

Primary elections are being held in six states on Tuesday.

Kunce brings a Marine swagger and a grassroots populism that appeals to some, particularly in outstate Missouri. — (AP) — As the U.S. Senate primary campaign nears its end in Missouri, all three leading Republican candidates are making it clear that if elected, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell won't have their support. Greitens, who resigned amid scandal in 2018, has said throughout the campaign that he wants McConnell ousted. Schmitt, speaking Wednesday in Columbia, said McConnell hasn't endorsed him, “and I don’t endorse him for leadership," KOMU-TV reported. “I'm not going to support him,” Hartzler told The Associated Press during a campaign stop Thursday in Pevely.

As the U.S. Senate primary campaign nears its end in Missouri, all three of the leading Republican candidates are making it clear that if elected, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell won't have their support.

As the U.S. Senate primary campaign nears its end in Missouri, all three leading Republican candidates are making it clear that if elected, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell won't have their support. Twenty-one Republicans are on the ballot Tuesday, with former Gov. Eric Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler believed to be the leading contenders. The Missouri candidates are among conservative Senate hopefuls who have fallen in line behind former President Donald Trump, who has attacked McConnell and advocated for new Senate leadership if Republicans win back the chamber in November.

“Fox & Friends” went above & beyond to comfort Donald Trump after a new CNN poll spelled bad news for the ex-president.

Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) (David Carson)ST. LOUIS — (AP) — Democrats are feeling bullish about their chances for an upset in Missouri’s U.S. Senate race if scandal-tarred former Gov. Lucas Kunce brings a Marine swagger and a grassroots populism that appeals to some, particularly in outstate Missouri. On the Democratic side, both the state party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have declined to endorse a candidate. Andy Leighton, chair of the Cape Girardeau County Democratic Committee and a Missouri House candidate, supports Kunce. But they're hopeful, particularly if Greitens is the Republican candidate.

The use of guns in political ads has evolved as a coded appeal for white voters, reflecting militancy in a culture war.

Election 2022 Missouri Senate FILE - Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens gestures while speaking to reporters in Jefferson City Feb. 22, 2022. “Every politician gets slammed for something or other,” Michael Moynihan, 74, said at a recent Greitens campaign appearance in the eastern Missouri town of Elsberry. She cited one instance where Eric Greitens cuffed their then 3-year-old son across the face and yanked him by the hair. If Greitens' campaign is worried about Wood's candidacy, its leaders are not letting on.

Eric Greitens resigned as Missouri governor in 2018 amid criminal charges and legislative investigations.

Eric Greitens resigned as Missouri governor amid criminal charges and legislative investigations, is accused by his ex-wife of abuse and bullying and has run a widely condemned ad suggesting he was hunting members of his own party with a gun. In the final weeks before the Aug. 2 primary, Greitens remains well positioned to clinch the nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Roy Blunt, who is not seeking a third term. If anything, the onslaught of criticism has made Greitens even more popular among his followers.

Historic patterns suggest Republicans will benefit from President Biden's unpopularity. That may mean electing candidates focused on excusing Trump's actions.

More than halfway through a tumultuous primary season, voters have rendered verdicts in a number of contests, many of which featured candidates arguing they best represented a continuation of policies favored by former President Donald Trump.

John F. Wood will need to collect 10,000 signatures by Aug. 1 to get on the ballot.

John F. Wood will need to collect 10,000 signatures by Aug. 1 to get on the ballot.

Election 2022 Missouri Senate FILE - John Wood, committee investigative staff counsel, for the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol hearing at the Capitol in Washington, June 16, 2022. Wood, an attorney working as a senior investigator for the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection will leave the post amid calls urging him to run for a Missouri U.S. Senate seat as an independent. With the Senate evenly divided, the GOP can't afford to lose what would otherwise be a safe seat. He was working as general counsel for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce when he stepped down in September to become senior investigative counsel for the Jan. 6 committee. Besides Greitens, other GOP contenders include Attorney General Eric Schmitt, U.S. Reps. Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long, Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz and St. Louis attorney Mark McCloskey.

An attorney who held key roles in the George W.

Two days after losing a bitter primary to a rival she once deemed a “sellout” for occasionally working with Democrats, Katie Arrington appeared at a “unity rally” to urge South Carolina Republicans to come together and back Rep. Nancy Mace in the fall general election.

David Loar had been on paid suspension during the ongoing investigation. His last day with the department was June 12. Loar is the son of Kansas City Councilwoman Teresa Loar.

Eric Greitens speaks at the Taney County Lincoln Day event at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson, Mo., April 17, 2021. After the gun-toting campaign video was released, "she’s received some serious threats,” Wade said. In a March affidavit as part of the case, Sheena Greitens accused her ex-husband of verbal and physical abuse. “It’s in writing, `Wouldn’t it be awful if someone hunted down and killed Eric Greitens and his entire family. At one point, she said, Eric Greitens purchased a gun but refused to tell her where it was.

The lawyer for the ex-wife of Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens says the family has been subjected to “serious threats” in the days since Greitens released a violent campaign video in which he declares he’s hunting RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only.

GOP operatives and donors are privately working to undercut the Senate campaign of Eric Greitens after he released an ad hunting down members of his own party.

Some candidates have shifted targets from policy to groups of people, which can appeal to the base of a political group.

Some candidates have shifted targets from policy to groups of people, which can appeal to the base of a political group.

An attorney working as a senior investigator for the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection will leave the post amid calls urging him to run for a Missouri U.S. Senate seat as an independent.

Republican Sen_ Rick Scott of Florida is criticizing the Texas GOP's new party platform for not being “inclusive” when it described homosexuality as “an abnormal lifestyle choice.”.

It’s a striking example of the different ways various social platforms can treat posts that violate their policies. The fundraising video released Monday across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube by Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens shows him cocking a shotgun after declaring that he's hunting RINOs. Greitens posted the video on his Twitter, YouTube and Facebook accounts on Monday. YouTube said in an email Tuesday that Greiten's video did not violate its policies. But Twitter covered the video with a warning label, saying it violated the platform's rules on harassment and intimidation.

When a GOP Missouri U.S. Senate candidate released a video Monday in which he cocked a gun after calling for a hunt of fellow Republicans who he believes are “RINOs,” or Republicans in Name Only, Facebook scraped it off its platform within a few hours.

Former Republican U.S. Sen. John Danforth and others are urging a former federal prosecutor who now serves as an attorney for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to make an independent run for one of Missouri’s Senate seats.

Eric Greitens of Missouri is among the Republican candidates in a highly competitive Aug. 2 primary to fill the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Blunt.

Eric Greitens of Missouri is among the Republican candidates in a highly competitive Aug. 2 primary to fill the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Blunt.

Eric Greitens of Missouri is among the Republican candidates in a highly competitive Aug. 2 primary to fill the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Blunt.

Georgia and Arizona officials take center stage as the House select committee begins its third week of public hearings.

Election 2022 Missouri Senate This image from video from a campaign ad by Eric Greitens for U.S. Senate, shows Eric Greitens, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri, in a campaign video ad that shows him brandishing a long gun and declaring that he's hunting RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only. (Eric Greitens for U.S. Senate via AP) (Uncredited)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Facebook on Monday removed a campaign video by Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens that shows him brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he's hunting RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only. Gretchen Whitmer, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Republican Caleb Rowden, majority leader of the Missouri state Senate, tweeted: “We have been in contact with the Missouri Highway Patrol and hope that former Gov. Republican state Sen. Dave Schatz called it “completely irresponsible.”“That’s why I’m running.

A new ad from Eric Greitens, the controversial Republican running for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat, has left him accused of glorifying political violence.

Election 2022 Missouri Senate FILE - Former Missouri Gov. In the video, candidate Eric Greitens identifies himself as a Navy SEAL and says he's going RINO hunting. Get a RINO hunting permit. The video comes at a time of renewed focus on gun violence and violence in politics following fatal mass shootings and threats to government officials. Greitens' campaign did not address the action taken by the two social media companies.

Facebook removed Greitens's video for violating its policies prohibiting violence and incitement, while Twitter placed a warning label over his tweet.

Facebook has removed a campaign video by Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens that shows him brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he's hunting RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only.

A half-dozen mainstream Republican Senate candidates are drawing on the white “replacement" conspiracy theory to court voters this campaign season.

Former President Donald Trump enters the next stretch of the midterm campaign emboldened by primary victories but facing new risks.

In a story published April 27, 2022, about a controversial clemency issued by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Kyle Hedquist was 17 when he committed murder.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, whose ex-wife recently accused him of physical abuse, says he will not drop his political comeback bid for the U.S. Senate.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has reached an agreement with the Missouri Office of Disciplinary Counsel in which she acknowledges mistakes in her handling of the prosecution of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens but won’t face any severe penalties for those mistakes.

The investigator who played a key role in former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ resignation in 2018 has pleaded guilty to evidence tampering.

The ex-wife of Missouri GOP Senate candidate Eric Greitens has accused him of physical abuse.

For all their angst about the possibility of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the state, GOP leaders haven’t coalesced behind an alternative.

This time last year, the Republican Party was hitting bottom.

A U.S. Senate candidate in Missouri, Republican state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, is flexing the power of his office by filing a slew of lawsuits, including against Democratic cities and schools to stop mask mandates.

FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2020 file photo, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speaks during a news conference in St. Louis. – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Wednesday announced he's making a bid to replace Roy Blunt in the Senate, setting up a Republican primary against disgraced former Gov. Voters first elected Schmitt to the state Senate in 2008 to represent a suburban St. Louis district. He was elected state treasurer in 2016, then took over as the state attorney general after Josh Hawley vacated the seat to join the U.S. Senate in 2019. He won another term as attorney general in 2020.

Greitens' political future seemed doomed by scandal when he resigned as Missouri governor. – O'Eric Greitens' political future seemed doomed by scandal when he resigned as Missouri governor. Also like Trump, Greitens defeated establishment Republicans in the primary before winning in November. Many see Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft as the early favorite to win Blunt's seat, if Ashcroft opts to run. But Missouri Republican Party Treasurer Pat Thomas said Greitens retains “a definite following” among state Republicans.

But officials in both parties agree that the surge of GOP departures will make the Republicans' challenge more difficult in the Senate. Several Missouri Republicans are expected to seek the nomination to replace Blunt, but none will be more divisive than former Gov. Ahead of Greitens' announcement, some Republicans worried that he could jeopardize the Senate seat if he emerges as the party's nominee. The former president won by the same margin in Iowa, where 87-year-old Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is considering retirement. AdMeanwhile, Blunt predicted political success for Republicans in Missouri and beyond during a Monday news conference.

FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 file photo, Missouri Republican Gov. Its the most hotly contested of the nations 11 governors races this fall. Which party holds the governor's office could be especially consequential over the next few years. In governor’s races, many of the attack ads are funded by each party’s governors association. In the governor’s race, he said Gianforte’s financial support of a Montana museum dedicated to creationist beliefs was a big problem.

– Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican who has steadfastly refused to require residents to wear masks, tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said Wednesday. On Friday, he and several other Missouri Republican candidates appeared together at an event called the “TARGET BBQ” in Springfield. Two other Republican governors also have tested positive for COVID-19, though one of those turned out to be a false positive. Kevin Stitt became the first governor to test positive in July.

The McCloskey case drew Trump's attention, especially after Democratic St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner filed felony unlawful use of a weapon charges in July. A police probable cause statement said protesters feared being injured due to Patricia McCloskeys finger being on the trigger, coupled with her excited demeanor." They had weapons, they had fire material.Mark McCloskey said on the Fox News program that Democrat-controlled St. Louis is a very dangerous place, and the statistics back him up. The people of St. Louis expect me to pursue equal justice under the law without fear or favor, and that is what I intend to do.Gardner, St. Louis first Black circuit attorney, was elected in 2016 and appears headed to another term. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt asked a judge to toss out the charges.

FILE - In a Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jim Salter, File)ST. LOUIS St. Louis' top prosecutor faced a primary challenge on Tuesday after drawing criticism from President Donald Trump for filing charges against a couple who displayed guns at protesters marching near their home. Kim Gardner, the city's first Black circuit attorney, also received national attention when she filed criminal charges against Missouri's governor in 2018. She's being challenged in the Democratic primary by Mary Pat Carl, who is white and once served as the city's lead homicide prosecutor. St. Louis is overwhelmingly Democratic.

FILE - In a Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. Gardner became St. Louis' first Black circuit attorney when she was elected in 2016 and has enacted a progressive, reformist agenda. (AP Photo/Jim Salter, File)ST. LOUIS The fate of St. Louis elected prosecutor may rest with which side city voters fall in two competing national debates: criminal justice reform versus the push to crack down on crime. Kim Gardner became St. Louis first Black circuit attorney when she was elected in 2016 and has enacted a progressive, reformist agenda. Bill Hall, a professor of political science at Webster University in suburban St. Louis, said everything is coalescing in Gardners re-election bid.

FILE - In this June 28, 2020 file photo, armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front their house along Portland Place confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis. St. Louis top prosecutor told The Associated Press on Monday, July 20, 2020 that she is charging a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP File)ST. LOUIS St. Louis top prosecutor told The Associated Press on Monday that she is charging a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner that is unlawful in the city of St. Louis, Gardner said. Gardner, St. Louis first Black circuit attorney, has been at odds with some in the St. Louis establishment since her election in 2016.

FILE - In this June 28, 2020 file photo, armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front their house along Portland Place confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday urged Attorney General William Barr to launch a federal civil rights investigation of St. Louis' elected prosecutor, accusing Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner of abusing her power in her investigation of a white couple who wielded guns while defending their home during a protest. The couple accused protesters of knocking down an iron gate marked with No Trespassing and Private Street signs. He said the McCloskeys had every right to protect their property.Gardner, St. Louis' first Black circuit attorney, has been at odds with some in the St. Louis establishment since her election in 2016. The McCloskeys' attorney, Albert Watkins, said they are longtime civil rights advocates and support the message of the Black Lives Matter movement.