ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Former President Donald Trump has congratulated Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on his decision last week to pardon Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who were charged in the incident involving protests at their Central West End home last June.
The local lawyers and now political candidate were originally charged with felony counts of unlawful use of weapons. Those charges were lessened to misdemeanors and fines after a plea deal which involved them giving up the guns they used.
The full statement reads:
"Congratulations to Governor Mike Parson of Missouri for having the courage to give Mr. and Mrs. Mark McCloskey a full pardon. They were defending their property and if they had not done what they did, their property would have been completely destroyed and they would have been badly beaten, or dead—great going Mike!"
- STATEMENT BY DONALD J. TRUMP, 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Related
Parson issued 12 pardons and commuted two sentences on July 30 and they were announced last week. Mark and Patricia McCloskey were among those pardoned.
Several hundred demonstrators on June 28 veered onto the private street where the McCloskey’s Renaissance palazzo-style mansion sits. The McCloskeys said the protesters knocked down an iron gate and ignored a “No Trespassing” sign. Protest leaders said the gate was open and the demonstration was peaceful.
Mark McCloskey came out with a semi-automatic rifle and his wife emerged with a semi-automatic handgun. No shots were fired. Missouri law allows homeowners to use force, even lethal force, to defend their homes.
Related
© 2021 KMOX (Audacy). All rights reserved
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Follow KMOX
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram