Tag: missouri

The Story: Prosecutors have dropped a charge against Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (R), averting a trial for felony invasion of privacy. Why the Charge was Dropped Greitens...

CLAYTON • More than 100 people who want to get big money out of politics met Tuesday night to hear from experts and discuss whether an amendment to the U.S. Constitution could do the trick. Several candidates for Missouri congressional seats were in the crowd at the town hall at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, the second stop in a 50-state tour by American Promise. The nonprofit is garnering support for a proposed 28th Amendment that would seek to limit the influence corporations, super PACS, unions and other special interest groups have on politics and elections. Advocates say Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which ruled that corporations and unions spending money to influence elections is protected speech under the First Amendment, created an unequal playing field where big money has more say than individual American voters. “Corporations are not public citizens of the United States and we need to keep that line clear,” said Jeff Clements, a former Massachusetts assistant attorney general who founded American Promise in 2016. Magarian, who was an assistant to the Supreme Court justice who penned the dissenting opinion in Citizens United, said Supreme Court decisions over recent years had whittled the legal definition of “corruption” in campaign finance to only mean outright bribes, ignoring other ways powerful institutions can influence electoral politics. “We’ve got a Supreme Court now that takes an affirmative view that what you and I think of as corruption is American democracy at its finest,” he said. The group’s first objective is to get Missouri to join 19 states that have passed a formal resolution calling on Congress to propose an amendment that would in effect reverse the Citizens United decision, Potashnick said. Stuart Shadwell, who was in the audience for the Clayton town hall, said he considers himself a “First Amendment absolutist” and would support a 28th Amendment. “I believe in freedom of speech but not all speech is on an even playing field.

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) called on Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) to resign on Thursday in the wake of his indictment on charges of felony privacy invasion. "Following today’s indictment, Governor Greitens should step down immediately. The people of Missouri deserve a governor who can focus full-time on the issues affecting the state," the statement continued. The Hill has reached out to the RGA for comment. The governor was taken into custody by law enforcement and was booked at the St. Louis Justice Center. His attorney later released a statement calling the charges "baseless and unfounded.' "My client is absolutely innocent. The state Senate's Majority Leader Mike Kehoe (R) said he was "not prepared" to say whether Greitens should resign, while House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D) suggested he should step aside. "While the criminal justice system must run its course, the governor needs to consider whether remaining in office under these circumstances is the right thing to do for not only himself and his family but for the people of Missouri," she said.

Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander reacts to President Trump telling soldier's widow "he knew what he signed up for," according to Congresswoman Frederica Wilson.