Missouri House Minority leader Gail McCann Beatty has sent a letter to Governor Eric Greitens inviting him to testify at an upcoming hearing.
The House Ethics Committee is meeting Monday, October 16th to discuss a declaration of disapproval sponsored by McCann Beatty regarding social media comments made by Republican Representative Warren Love of Osceola.
On August 31st, Love criticized vandals who threw paint on a confederate statue at National Veterans Cemetery in Springfield by seeming to call for them to be lynched. Love said on Facebook, “I hope they are found & hung from a tall tree with a long rope”.
In her letter, McCann Beatty, a Kansas City Democrat, quoted a comment made by Greitens suggesting the removal from office of Love and Democratic Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal of University City. She also referenced a September 1st story in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in which Greitens’ spokesperson Parker Briden said “We think he (Love) should resign”.
Senator Chappelle-Nadal came under fire days earlier for a Facebook posting in which she said “I hope (President) Trump is assassinated!”
The State Senate censured Chappelle-Nadal on September 13th during the legislature’s annual veto session. The chamber’s Republican and Democratic leaders also stripped her of her committee assignments.
In her letter to Governor Greitens, who is a Republican, McCann Beatty said, “If you sincerely believe that both Rep. Love and Sen. Chappelle-Nadal should face the same consequences, as you have previously stated, your testimony and leadership would go a long way toward ensuring that Rep. Love does not escape accountability for his actions.”
She asked the Governor to inform her at his earliest convenience if he would be attending the committee hearing, which takes place at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 16th.
