Mark McCloskey, an attorney from St. Louis, Missouri, recently made headlines when he launched a campaign and announced his entrance into the 2022 United States Senate race. He reportedly stated, “God came knocking on my door last summer disguised as an angry mob, and it really did wake me up. … [A]s we’ve continued to do rallies and events supporting our constitutional rights, what I’ve learned is that people out there in our country are just sick and tired of cancel culture and the poison of critical race theory and the big lie of systemic racism—all backed up by the threat of mob violence.”
In summer 2020, news went viral after Mark and his wife, Patricia, exercised their Second Amendment right to protect themselves and their property against Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters. The incident took place as reports of George Floyd’s death were circulating, sparking outcries and violent demonstrations demanding social justice. BLM protesters forced their way through a gate, trespassed into a private neighborhood and were confronted by the McCloskeys, armed with a rifle and handgun, who demanded the crowd vacate the premises.
Former Circuit Attorney Kim Garner filed “unlawful use of weapon” charges against the McCloskeys, stating, “It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in a nonviolent protest.” In October, the couple were indicted by a grand jury on Garner’s gun charges and later added tampering with evidence. The McCloskeys entered a plea of “not guilty” and Missouri Governor Mike Parsons said he would pardon the couple if they were convicted.
One news source reported Circuit Judge Thomas Clark II dismissed Attorney Garner and her staff from the case due to “fundraising emails [they] sent to constituents that alluded to Mark and Patricia McCloskey’s case [and] ‘raise the appearance of impropriety and jeopardize the defendant’s right to a fair trial.'”
The couple’s attorney, Joel Schwartz wrote, “The … email drew a direct line from the incident, which had not yet resulted in criminal charges, to Ms. Garner’s political antagonists and from there to a call for donations to further her reelection efforts.”
The McCloskeys expressed concerns of a tainted case after Garner’s involvement, of which Schwartz said, “[W]e believe the grand jury process was tainted and should be reviewed and revisited.” Litigation continued in April with the Missouri Supreme Court denying Garner’s appeal to return to the case. Meanwhile, Schwartz filed a motion to “[send] the case back to a grand jury to decide if they should have been indicted in the first place.” Recent reports say proceedings will not go back to the grand jury.
Mark McCloskey’s official campaign page says, “[H]e has now answered the call of public duty and is running for the United States Senate from Missouri to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Roy Blunt. Mark is a conservative outsider who will bring backbone and guts to the U.S. Senate to continue fighting for President Trump’s agenda.”
In a tweet, McCloskey declared, “I am a proven fighter against the mob. When the mob comes to destroy our home, our state, our nation—I’ll defend it. I will never back down.”
An angry mob marched to destroy my home and kill my family, I took a stand to defend them.
I am a proven fighter against the mob
When the mob comes to destroy our home, our state, our nation— I’ll defend it
I will NEVER BACK DOWN
Help me FIGHT BACK ➡️ https://t.co/8N8o1yxN6C pic.twitter.com/jR8ieWdkCc
— Mark McCloskey (@Mark__McCloskey) May 19, 2021
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For more than a decade, Tiffany Benson’s passion for writing has exceeded most of her interests. When she’s not catching up on politics or watching documentaries, she enjoys journaling, fiction and contributing to her blog: bigviewsmallwindow.com.
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