Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple that defended their home over the summer from a large group of marching demonstrators, reacted on Tuesday night to being indicted earlier in the day, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that this was “an attempt by this Soros-funded prosecutor to intimidate people.”
Criminal defense attorney Jonathan Turley responded to the indictment by writing, “As predicted, the prosecutors used vague language in the state law to charge the McCloskeys. However, as a criminal defense attorney, I view these charges as legally dubious and highly challengeable given countervailing rights under Missouri law.”
The McCloskeys, who were indicted on weapons and evidence tampering charges stemming from the June incident, appeared on Fox News late last night where they responded to the latest development.
Mark McCloskey noted that the angry demonstrators blew past three “no trespassing” signs, broke through an iron gate, and “threatened us with murder, with rape, with arson, with burning our house down, taking over our house, and even killing our dog.”
“You know, it’s just an attempt by this Soros-funded prosecutor to intimidate people, to warn people out there that if you stand up for yourself, exercise your Second Amendment rights, we are going to punish you–not the mob, not the criminals–but we’re going to punish you, law-abiding citizens, for trying to defend yourselves,” he added.
When asked what the deal was with the evidence tampering charges, Mark McCloskey said he could not comment on it because he has not even seen the charging documents.
“We have not seen the charging documents and I’ve been advised by my attorney not to make any comments since we don’t know what we’ve allegedly tampered with and therefore we can’t respond in any way yet,” Mark McCloskey said. “We were in court this morning, Sean, and at that point we were told there were no charges and then this is how wonderful the world works these days: The powers that be, the left, leaks the information they want before you actually see it. My daughter called me up from out of town to say I understand you got indicted today, before my own lawyer knew about it, because it got leaked to the press.”
WATCH:
The McCloskeys describe the threats they defended themselves from, which they've now been indicted for: BLM activists bypassed “three no-trespassing signs — an iron gate that’s been there since 1888 — and threatened us with murder, rape, with arson … killing our dog” pic.twitter.com/7LxlFVyDVn
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 7, 2020
TRANSCRIPT:
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Alright, unfortunately, tonight, the unequal system of justice is on full display. Mark, Patricia McCloskey, that’s the couple seen on the now-viral video defending their St. Louis home from a mob of angry demonstrators in June. They were the ones indicted today. According to their attorney Al Watkins, they are now facing the charges of unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence. Here with their reaction, Mark and Patricia McCloskey. First, I’m sorry that you’re going through this. You’re both lawyers and my understanding is that these protesters, didn’t they break a through an iron gate, ignoring “No trespassing” sign and didn’t you tell me in a previous interview that you were both threatened verbally and otherwise?
MARK MCCLOSKEY: Not just one trespassing sign, three “No trespassing” signs, folded down an iron gate that has been there since 1888 and threatened us with murder, with rape, with arson, with burning our house down, taking over our house, and even killing our dog. Saying every possible, unrepeatable, rude thing about my wife’s physical anatomy and where they’re going to put that pistol when they take it away from her. It a horrifying scene. You know, it’s just an attempt by this Soros-funded prosecutor to intimidate people, to warn people out there that if you stand up for yourself, exercise your Second Amendment rights, we are going to punish you–not the mob, not the criminals–but we’re going to punish you, law-abiding citizens, for trying to defend yourselves.
HANNITY: And your weapons were legal, and they were on your property, is that correct?
MARK MCCLOSKEY: This is true. It’s a private neighborhood. When they folded down that gate and broke into our neighborhood, every inch of our neighborhood is private property. They walked right past a sign, three of them, private property, residents only, no trespassing. Broke the gate down and came storming in.
HANNITY: Did you see weapons in the hands of any of the people that were in front of your house or on your property?
MARK MCCLOSKEY: I saw the one guy pointed two loaded magazines at me, close enough that I could see that they had shells in them, clicked them together, pointed at me and said, ‘you are next.’ The guy standing next to him, also wearing body armor, had a sidearm on him and was kept inching closer and inching closer. They were armed, they were dangerous and they were intentionally threatening.
HANNITY: Again, these weapons that you have were legal and they were on your own property. Can you explain the tampering of evidence charge? I’m having a hard time with that one.
MCCLOSKEY: I can’t, we have not seen the charging documents and I’ve been advised by my attorney not to make any comments since we don’t know what we’ve allegedly tampered with and therefore we can’t respond in any way yet. We were in court this morning, Sean, and at that point we were told there were no charges and then this is how wonderful the world works these days: The powers that be, the left, leaks the information they want before you actually see it. My daughter called me up from out of town to say I understand you got indicted today, before my own lawyer knew about it, because it got leaked to the press.
HANNITY: My understanding is that there were nine protesters originally charged with misdemeanor trespassing, but those charges were all dropped. Only the home owner, law-abiding, legal gun owner, gets charged here? Is that how America works?
MARK MCCLOSKEY: That’s how America works. I mean, the bottom line is that if you have the gall, if you have the audacity to try to protect yourself, to exercise your Second Amendment rights, that’s an unforgivable crime to the left, because you’re supposed to have just mindless obedience and you’re not supposed to challenge them.
HANNITY: Didn’t they tell you which rooms in your house they were going to take over?
MARK MCCLOSKEY: Pointing up at the windows, “That’s where I’m going to be sleeping, that’s where I’m going to be taking my shower, that’s where I’m going to be having my breakfast after we kill you and take your house.”
HANNITY: I think I’d call that a threat. I think you have a good case, but it’s sad you have to go through that. Challenging times.