ST. LOUIS (KMOX) — A clergy abuse survivors group is accusing Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt of making a "secret deal" with the Catholic church to not go after church hierarchy in its recent release of a list of predator priests.
The Missouri Attorney General's office has rejected a Sunshine Request made by the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, a request to find out if the church made a deal with the AG to protect higher-ups in an investigation of accused priests.
Schmitt's office says SNAP's Sunshine Request was rejected because the investigation is ongoing, and no records can be released until an investigation is officially closed.
SNAP's David Clohessy admits he has no hard evidence, but ... "If there's no deal, how would you explain the fact that he doesn't even look at the complicit hierarchy, not once. That is, for most Catholics, that's the bigger part of this crisis."
Clohessy also finds it telling that the AG's investigation issued no subpoenas, held no hearings, took no sworn testimony, and resulted in a list of accused priests, but church higher-ups accused of a coverup.