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Roberts responds to Walker’s rape accusation

ST. LOUIS – The Missouri political world was rocked Friday night when Cora Faith Walker accused Steve Roberts Jr. of raping her in a police report filed last week with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Both Walker and Roberts will become representatives next session, Walker for the 74th House District and Roberts for the 77th. In her letter to Speaker Todd Richardson and House minority leadership, Walker requested that Roberts not be sworn in until the police complete their investigation.

She also sat down with Tony Messenger of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to detail the events of that evening. Walker says she and Roberts met on the night of Aug. 26 to discuss working in the Capitol together. After two glasses of wine, she says she had no memory of the rest of the night and woke up in Roberts’ apartment the next morning.

However, Roberts has now responded, calling her accusation “completely and unequivocally false.”

“Mrs. Walker’s letter to legislative leaders a few days ago makes an unbelievable statement that she, an attorney and married woman, went to another man’s apartment at 9:30 p.m. on Friday night for strictly a business meeting,” Roberts said. “While I am not proud of this situation, it was entirely consensual and I did nothing illegal.”

Roberts intoned that the two had been intimate in the past and had grown a friendly relationship as they worked on their respective campaigns.

House leaders responded to the accusations with a measured response. Richardson released this statement after receiving Walker’s letter.

“Last evening, I received a letter from future colleague Cora Faith Walker containing extremely serious and disturbing allegations against another potential future House member, Steven Roberts, about an incident last month in St. Louis,” he said. “The kind of conduct alleged cannot be tolerated in our state and will not be tolerated in the House of Representatives. While the House has no jurisdiction over non-members, we will monitor the criminal investigation closely and continue to have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment.”

Rep. Jake Hummel, the outgoing Minority Floor Leader, made this statement.

“Cora Faith Walker has shown great courage in publicly seeking justice for the assault against her,” he said. “It is vitally important for the legal system to diligently pursue this matter to an appropriate resolution. As the situation develops in the coming weeks, the accused must determine whether attempting to serve in the Missouri House of Representatives under these circumstances is in the best interests of himself, his family and his constituents.”