Gov. Mike Parson’s pardon of Mark and Patricia McCloskey on gun charges last month has received the approval of former President Donald Trump.
“Congratulations to Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri for having the courage to give Mr. and Mrs. Mark McCloskey a full pardon,” Trump said. “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!”
The McCloskeys pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in June related to the incident last year when the couple pointed firearms at protestors who marched past their St. Louis home. The couple also had to turn over their firearms to the state.
Mark McCloskey is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate who has recounted the events of that day in stump speeches, promising to defend Missouri and the country from the mob.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that the president has congratulated Mike Parson,” he told “The Missouri Times.” “Both President Trump and Gov. Parson, from the very beginning, demonstrated their wholehearted support of us when faced with the onslaught of the mob last June. Their sincere support for us and the rule of law is a constant reminder of what this country has lost as a result of the last election.”
READ: Trump starts own social media comany
Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to a class C misdemeanor of assault in the fourth degree and agreed to a $750 fine. Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to a Class A misdemeanor of harassment in the second degree and agreed to a $2,000 fine.
Parson pardoned the couple of the gun charges July 30, along with 10 others, but their names weren’t made public until early August. After the pardons, McCloskey vowed to strengthen Missouri’s Castle Doctrine laws.
Trump endorsed Parson in his 2020 gubernatorial bid. He has not yet backed any of the five GOP candidates for U.S. Senate, although they are all touting their connections to the former president as they campaign. Aside from McCloskey, Congressman Billy Long, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Gov. Eric Greitens are vying for the nomination.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
