(August 10, 2020) – Today, Governor Parson announced his intention to broaden the special session to include legislation that would allow the Attorney General to insert himself into the duties of another elected official. This is a blatant attack on Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. Missouri Democratic Party Acting Chair, Hon. Clem Smith, released the following statement:

“This is a shameful and obvious attack on Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, the first Black woman elected to the position. By significantly expanding Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s power over one specific jurisdiction, while Missouri faces rising gun violence across the state, it signals Parson’s true intention. Governor Parson has taken a page from President Trump’s playbook, dog-whistling about cities where Democrats lead. Governor Parson is working to divide us against each other by blaming poor, Black, and Brown people for our problems so Republicans can rig the rules in their favor, to benefit themselves and greedy lobbyists, insiders, and special interests. Governor Parson and Attorney General Eric Schmitt should listen to their constituents, who, overwhelmingly, have endorsed Ms. Gardner’s record by voting for her in the recent primary. It is the constituents of St. Louis who hold their Circuit Attorney accountable, not politicians in Jefferson City.



This is yet another political stunt in an election year that will give Jefferson City more power over the City of St. Louis. If Governor Parson and the Republicans were serious about gun violence, they would have listened last year to the calls to address gun violence, and they could have listened for many years as violence has grown under the Republican control. As a longtime politician, Governor Parson has had ample opportunities in his tenure as an elected official to work on finding solutions to gun violence. Yet, instead of addressing criminal justice reform and gun violence, Governor Parson and Republicans just want to score political points and distract voters from the lack of leadership they’ve shown during the COVID-19 pandemic.”