Couple who pointed guns at St. Louis protesters were going to be attacked, Trump says
President Donald Trump defended a St. Louis, Missouri, couple who pointed guns at protesters, saying the demonstrators planned to “beat up” and “ransack” their house.
“When you look at St. Louis and with two people and they came out, they were going to be beat up badly if they were lucky, OK, if they were lucky,” Trump said in an interview with conservative news outlet Townhall Media.
“They were going to be beat up badly and the house was going to be totally ransacked and probably burned down like they try to burn down churches.”
In late June, the protesters marched through a gated community to a rally planned at Mayor Lyda Krewson’s home. They passed by the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are seen on video pointing guns at demonstrators standing on a sidewalk.
Video of the confrontation captured attention nationwide as people protested police brutality and racial injustice following the death George Floyd, the Black man who died after a Minneapolis officer pinned his neck to the ground.
Trump retweeted an ABC News video of the St. Louis couple without comment a day after it happened.
Authorities executed a search warrant of their home Friday and seized the long-barrel gun Mark McCloskey held in the video, The Associated Press reported. The couple’s lawyer said arrangements also had been made to turn over the gun Patricia McCloskey pointed at protesters, according to the AP.
On Friday, the attorney said the couple had not yet been charged but told AP the search warrant was a “clear indication” of the prosecutor’s intentions.
In the Townhall interview, Trump talked about an ongoing investigation of the McCloskeys, calling it a “disgrace.”
“These people were standing there, never used it, and they were legal — the weapons — and now I understand somebody local, they want to prosecute these people,” Trump told Townhall Media. “It’s a disgrace.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson weighed in with a Facebook post Tuesday, criticizing the investigation by a St. Louis prosecutor.
“It’s appalling when the St. Louis City prosecutor is targeting the McCloskeys for defending their own home,” Parson said. “Violent crime is an issue that must be addressed in our state. President Donald J. Trump understands the importance of keeping Missourians safe and we will be working together to ensure LAW & ORDER.”
Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, prosecutor investigating the case, released a statement a day after incident, saying she was “alarmed” by peaceful protesters met with guns and her office is investigating.
“We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated,” Gardner said. “Make no mistake: We will not tolerate the use of force against those exercising their First Amendment rights, and will use the full power of Missouri law to hold people accountable.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Couple who pointed guns at St. Louis protesters were going to be attacked, Trump says."