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Interview: Sen. Hawley wants separate minimum wage hike, calls for immediate tax credit for blue-collar workers (VIDEO)

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Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley voted Friday against adding a minimum wage hike to the current COVID-19 relief bill in the Senate, but is calling for a higher minimum wage — and a tax credit — for some blue-collar workers.

Hawley, in a stand-alone bill, would require companies that make more than $1 billion annually to pay a $15 starting wage. In the meantime, his “Blue Collar Bonus Tax Credit” plan would give workers a bonus directly through an automatic, advanceable tax credit tied to hours worked.

He says this takes the burden off of small businesses and should be the “focus of the stimulus package.”

Hawley explained his bills, speaking from Washington with Missourinet’s Ashley Byrd:

Missouri’s Wagner says she will not challenge election results

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Four Republican U.S. House members from Missouri say they will vote against certifying the November election results, but not Congresswoman Ann Wagner. In a press release, Wagner, of Ballwin, says the Constitution and the 12th Amendment are clear – the power to elect the President of the United States lies with the States and the People, not Congress. She says to allow Congress to “alter the decided outcome of the election would irreparably damage our system of government and defy the Constitution.”

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner visits Jefferson City on February 25, 2020 (file photo from Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth)

Congressman Jason Smith of southeast Missouri’s Salem, Billy Long of southwest Missouri’s Springfield, Sam Graves of northwest Missouri’s Tarkio and Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler of west-central Missouri’s Harrisonville plan to join Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley in protesting the election outcome.

They are all strong allies of President Donald Trump, who has alleged widespread election fraud in November.

Whether House Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer backs this effort is unknown.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, has reportedly said he will not contest the certification process.

The vote is scheduled to take place Wednesday.

Here is Wagner’s full statement:

“On January 3, 2021, I took a solemn oath before God and Country to, ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ I have faith in our nation’s legal process, believe in the rule of law, and will always uphold that oath to support and defend the Constitution.

“Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment are clear. The power to elect the President of the United States lies with the States and the People, not Congress. Specifically each State ‘shall appoint, in such Manner as the (State) Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors’ and ‘the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President.’ It is time for Congress to count the electoral votes from each State and fulfill our Constitutional duty.

“I cannot and will not unconstitutionally insert Congress into the Presidential election in this manner. This would amount to stealing power from the People and the States. It would, in effect, replace the Electoral College with Congress, and strengthen the efforts of those who are determined to eliminate it or render it irrelevant.

“At this point, all States have certified their election results and electors and alleged irregularities have been taken to State and Federal court over five dozen times and rejected, even by judges appointed by President Trump.

“I even signed on to an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States asking the Justices to examine the election changes made by several States and determine if they went beyond the scope of the Constitution’s State legislative requirements. The Supreme Court made a ruling and rejected the merits of our filing in an exceptionally expeditious manner.

“Although some States needlessly injected controversy into this year’s election by making last minute ballot changes and casting doubt over the management and integrity of their election process, that controversy must be decided either by the States themselves, or the Supreme Court. Both avenues have been tried, the legal process followed, and with that comes a finality that Congress and our nation must respect.

“While I may not like the outcome of the election, that does not mean I can, nor should I, try to usurp the powers of the individual States of our republic. To allow Congress to alter the decided outcome of the election would irreparably damage our system of government and defy the Constitution. It is for these reasons I will not support any objection to the certification of electoral college results.”

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McCloskeys during RNC: “Your family will not be safe in Radical Democrats’ America”

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A St. Louis couple who pulled their guns on protesters walking along their private street in June were featured last night during the Republican National Convention. Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both personal injury lawyers, called the protesters “an out-of-control mob causing chaos in the streets.” Patricia McCloskey says “your family will not be safe in the Radical Democrats’ America.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey speak during 2020 Republican National Convention

“They are not satisfied with spreading the chaos and violence into our communities, they want to abolish the suburbs all-together by ending single-family zoning,” says Patricia McCloskey. “This forced rezoning would bring crime, lawlessness and low-quality apartments into thriving suburban neighborhoods. President Trump smartly ended this government overreach, but Joe Biden wants to bring it back. These are the policies that are coming to a neighborhood near you.”

Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary and Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro calls McCloskey’s characterization of the regulation “a shameful, deceitful and calculated ploy to drum up racial resentment and white fear.”

The McCloskeys suggested they are the victims for getting charged with felonies after using guns to defend their property. In July, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s Office charged the couple with one felony count each of unlawful use of a weapon — exhibiting.

“It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest, and while we are fortunate this situation did not escalate into deadly force, this type of conduct is unacceptable in St. Louis,” Gardner said.

Gov. Mike Parson, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley have all come to the defense of the McCloskeys. Parson says President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr are reviewing the event. The governor suggested Gardner should be removed from office.

Mark McCloskey called out one of the protesters, Democratic Congressional candidate Cori Bush.

“The Marxist liberal activist leading the mob to our neighborhood stood outside of our home with a bullhorn screaming, “You can’t stop the revolution,” says McCloskey. “Just weeks later, that same Marxist activist won the Democrat nomination to hold a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the city of St. Louis, that’s the same as winning the General Election. That Marxist revolutionary is going to be the next Congresswoman from the first district of Missouri. These radicals are not content with marching in the streets. They want to walk the halls of Congress. They want to take over.”

On Twitter, Bush did not seem bothered.

Bush is poised to be the first African-American Missouri woman to serve in the U.S. House.

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St. Louis couple charged with felonies for waving guns at protestors, state attorney general gets involved

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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s Office has filed felony charges today against a couple who pointed guns at protesters walking by their Central West End mansion last month. Mark and Patricia McCloskey have each been charged with a felony count of unlawful use of a weapon — exhibiting.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner

“It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest, and while we are fortunate this situation did not escalate into deadly force, this type of conduct is unacceptable in St. Louis,” Gardner says in a statement today.

She says her office would be open to ending the case if the McCloskeys successfully complete community service through a diversion program.

“We must protect the right to peacefully protest and any attempt to chill it through intimidation will not be tolerated,” says Gardner, a Democrat.

The McCloskeys, who are personal injury lawyers, have made worldwide news after photos and video captured them outside their St. Louis home waving guns at protesters walking by. The couple accused demonstrators of knocking down an iron gate marked with “No Trespassing” and “Private Street” signs. Video shows Mark McCloskey wielding a rifle yelling that protesters were on private property. McCloskey says he and his wife were “socially intimidated” and “terrorized” by some of the individuals and he feared for his life when they came onto his property.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey

Politicians from Missouri and beyond have spoken up about the incident. In an interview last Friday on the Marc Cox Morning Show in St. Louis, Gov. Mike Parson was asked if he would consider a pardon.

“I think that’s exactly what would happen,” Parson said.

During a press conference earlier last week, Parson stood up for the McCloskeys.

“They have the ability to do that as private citizens like everyone else,” said Parson. “But what they should not go through is a prosecutor attempting to take their Constitutional rights away by filing charges against them for protecting their property.”

He said President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr are reviewing the event.

“He understands the situation in St. Louis and how out of control it is for a prosecutor to let violent criminals off and not do their job and try to attack law-abiding citizens,” said Parson. “The conversation I had with the president said that he would do everything he could within his powers to help with this situation and that he would be taking action.”

Parson, a Republican, also suggested Gardner should be removed from office.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, wants a federal investigation launched in the case and has sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr accusing Gardner of abusing her power.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, has filed a request to have the case against the McCloskey’s dismissed.

Missourinet has contacted their attorney seeking comment.

Online court records say they are both scheduled to appear in court on August 31.

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Hawley calls for federal probe of top St. Louis prosecutor in case of armed couple

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U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, wants a federal investigation launched in the case about a St. Louis couple who pointed guns at protesters last month. He has sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr accusing St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner of abusing her power. He says Gardner’s unacceptable abuse of power has to do with Mark and Patricia McCloskey having their guns seized, being investigated and he says Gardner is pursuing a possible indictment.

Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley speaks to supporters in Winchester, Missouri (file photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

The McCloskeys have made national news after video and photos showed them outside their mansion wielding guns as a number of protesters walked through their neighborhood. Mark McCloskey was captured on video flashing a rifle yelling that protesters were on private property. McCloskey says he and his wife were “socially intimidated” and “terrorized” by some of the individuals and he feared for his life when they came onto his property.

In the letter, Hawley urges Barr to open a civil rights probe into the matter and says the McCloskey’s had the right to own and use their firearms to protect themselves from threatened violence.

“The Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Hawley says.

Gardner fired back on Twitter at Hawley’s comments.

During a press conference earlier this week, Gov. Mike Parson weighed in on the clash involving Gardner and the McCloskeys.

“They have the ability to do that as private citizens like everyone else,” says Parson. “But what they should not go through is a prosecutor attempting to take their Constitutional rights away by filing charges against them for protecting their property.”

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner

He says President Donald Trump and Barr are reviewing the event.

“He understands the situation in St. Louis and how out of control it is for a prosecutor to let violent criminals off and not do their job and try to attack law-abiding citizens,” says Parson. “The conversation I had with the president said that he would do everything he could within his powers to help with this situation and that he would be taking action.”

Parson suggested that Gardner should be removed from office.

Gardner released a statement saying Parson and Trump are going after her for doing her job and investigating a case.

“While they continue to play politics with the handling of this matter, spreading misinformation and distorting the truth, I refuse to do so. As I always do, I am reviewing all the available facts and the law and will apply them equally, regardless of the people involved,” says Gardner. “It is unbelievable the Governor of the state of Missouri would seek advice from one of the most divisive leaders in our generation to overpower the discretion of a locally elected prosecutor. It is also incredible that at a time when our nation is dealing with a rapidly spreading deadly virus and our state reported a record number of new infections, they are launching these dog-whistle attacks against me. They should be focused on their jobs and I’ll focus on mine.”

Gardner’s office has not announced any charges against the McCloskeys.

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Hawley proposes removal of mandated renaming of U.S. military bases honoring Confederate officers

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Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley is proposing to remove a mandated renaming of U.S. military bases honoring Confederate military leaders. He tells Missourinet he wants to instead create a one-year commission to get public input first and then make recommendations.

Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“My amendment says we will hold public hearings. We would be a commission that would hold public hearings – talk to military families, talk to veterans, talk to local communities and then make recommendations on changes to the names. I think this is a similar approach we’ve followed in the past,” says Hawley. “I think that’s the way we should move forward together to find consensus. I don’t think it should be done behind closed doors with a unilateral mandate by the Democrats – the same people who are also cheering on the tearing down of statues of George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln, for Heaven’s sake. It’s ridiculous.”

Since the death of George Floyd, objects viewed as symbols of racism are getting attention again. A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with second-degree murder in Floyd’s death.

“I’m against this cancel culture that just wants to sweep through and cancel anything that the Democrats and the woke mob now don’t approve of,” says Hawley. “That is not how we have proceeded as Americans. That is not how we show one another respect and honor. Let’s do this together.”

Fellow Missouri Republican U.S. Senator Roy Blunt has said he supports reviewing the names of the bases and renaming the installations.

The U.S. has ten bases commemorating Confederate officers.

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Senator Hawley on SBA: “I think it’s time to consider some new leadership” (VIDEO)

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Missouri’s U.S. Senator Josh Hawley says Missouri’s farmers and small businesses have been waiting too long for help from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.  The SBA program offers up to $10,000 in loan advances that do not require repayment.

He says he not getting anywhere with his questions about the delay of these COVID-19 disaster loans and that he has questioned the Trump-appointed SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza in person and in letters.

“They are not getting it done,” Hawley says, “Unless I see some change here, I think it’s time to consider new leadership.”

Hawley says he has shared his frustrations directly with President Trump.

Missourinet’s Ashley Byrd spoke with Sen. Hawley:

 

 

 

Cleaver says Congress is working to get more money to small businesses affected by COVID-19

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The $359 billion Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses during the coronavirus crisis went broke in less than two weeks. Congress is working on a $350 billion plan to inject more money into the program. Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver tells Kansas City Public Radio he knew there was not enough money put into the program. Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, says based on the 2008 economic collapse, he and many of his fellow House members knew the coronavirus funding “was just going to be a pittance in terms of the need.”

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City (September 2018 file photo courtesy of Congressman Cleaver’s office)

“What’s happening is that small businesses in rural communities, and in the urban core and in communities where the small businesses just don’t have a strong relationship with a bank, we found that they were left out,” says Cleaver. “The money was designed for small businesses essentially but we found out that many of the small businesses have not been able to get the money. And we have had over 70,000 – 70,000 individuals who have gone after the money.”

He disagrees with Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley’s proposal that would make the federal government pay for 80% of worker wages during the COVID-19 emergency. Cleaver says the priorities of Democrats are helping small businesses, hospitals, local governments and maintaining records of minorities getting the loans.

“Look, I’d like for everybody to get a check and get all the they need. But right now, I think we’ve got to take care of the small businesses,” says Cleaver. “Hospitals in general need to have more money.”

He says another coronavirus stimulus package for about $2 trillion is expected around June.

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Blunt proposes to revamp lower Missouri River management

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Missouri U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, along with Senators from Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, want to overhaul the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers’ management of the lower Missouri River. Blunt, a Republican, says their bill introduced this week is designed to reduce flood risk and improve flood protection along the lower river basin. He says last year’s flooding from March through August made for an unbelievable year.

Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

“We think the Corps can plan better,” he tells Brownfield Ag News. “But we think the Corps needs some direction and some flexibility to be able to plan better and that’s what this legislation would do.”

Blunt says the bill requires the Corps to come up with a project feasibility study and gives it flexibility for any project where the federal share is less than $75 million to be able to move forward more quickly.

Blunt says it lets the Corps look at the southern Missouri River basin as a unique waterway.

“We’re not trying to get into opening the entire plan or needlessly involve our friends north of us on the Missouri River when they don’t need to be involved. Certainly would welcome input from them,” he says.

Blunt says the Corps will have to look at how navigation and flood control can be a bigger priority.

“All of our input from farm families, farm organizations, businesses and communities along the river has been very positive so far and we hope we can continue to move forward in a unified way to get this done,” says Blunt.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst applauds the bill and says it is a huge step forward.

By Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News

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Missouri audit: Hawley’s AG office might have used state resources to support his U.S. Senate bid

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A state audit released today says Republican Josh Hawley’s office as attorney general might have used state resources to support his run for U.S. Senate. But State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat running for governor, says there were no clear violations of law. During a press conference today at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Galloway points to a lack of record keeping in some cases.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway

She talks about meetings held during regular state working hours between staff and campaign-paid consultants that sometimes did not explain the reason for the meetings. The closeout audit shows private emails and personal calendar meeting invites obtained indicate other meetings or phone conferences might have been held but records of those meetings were not kept or provided. The use of personal text and email to communicate official business and the use of a Google calendar for official meeting invites were in violation of the Attorney General’s Office policies.

The review also says Hawley used a state vehicle and driver/security detail for some trips without always explaining the purpose.

“A state vehicle was used to travel to Lincoln Days in Platte County – an event that is clearly political. In some cases, the state employee serving as driver and security detail took vacation time and received separate payment from federal campaign funds for the time of those specific meetings,” she says. “In his responses, the former attorney general claims to have reimbursed the state. There’s no record of any reimbursements to the state for the use of a state vehicle on these personal and political trips.”

Missouri law allows campaign resources to be used for government purposes but does not authorize government resources to be used for campaign purposes. Section 130.034.4(2), RSMo, permits campaign funds to be used for “ordinary and necessary expenses” incurred in connection with an elected office. But, Galloway says this section neither defines “ordinary and necessary expenses” nor specifies whether using campaign funds to pay consultants to provide administrative guidance is allowable. Section 36.157, RSMo, prohibits state employees from engaging in “political activity” while on duty or while using state resources. But, she says this section does not define “political activity.”

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley greets a supporter at GOP headquarters in Winchester on October 23, 2018. (File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

Galloway says the audit details incidents of current Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s staff putting up roadblocks, bullying, and threatening her staff.

“None of this is acceptable and is disappointing how the current Attorney General’s Office conducted itself,” she says. “The former attorney general and the current attorney general have asked for our help in public corruption cases using our audit procedures, our audit standards, these exact auditors that they are questioning now. They don’t have any problems with us doing these exact same procedures with the exact same folks in those public corruption cases, but all the sudden they do. The abuse these dedicated employees and licensed CPAs had to endure is unacceptable. I assume he did not like what this audit said.”

Schmitt’s spokesman, Chris Nuelle provided this statement:

“Auditor Galloway’s claims are ridiculous and unfounded. He says no such claims are even hinted at in the audit report prepared by her staff. From the beginning, Nuelle says the Attorney General’s Office worked tirelessly to cooperate and work with the State Auditor’s Office. That means dedicating thousands of man hours to gather, review, and transmit hundreds of thousands of pages of records, line up interviews and meetings, and respond to requests, all while continuing to perform the normal duties of the Attorney General’s Office. The correspondence from our office showed that we operated in a professional, cooperative manner.”

On Twitter today, Hawley says Galloway’s office engaged in partisan manipulation and potential unethical practices and says the audit was not independent. He says the report reaches the same conclusion as Secretary of State’s report one year ago: no wrongdoing by his office. He has filed a complaint against Galloway with the Board of Accountancy.

Another audit is underway of the general operations of Hawley’s office as attorney general. Closeout reviews are standard procedure when a state elected official leaves office.

To view the audit released today, click here.

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