Sen. Karla May spoke out against last week’s censure of Rep. Wiley Price, calling it “hypocrisy” from Republican leadership in the lower chamber.
“I think he was a scapegoat — the hypocrisy was amazing to me,” May said. “The committee was set up for a specific purpose, and it’s needed. Young women and men that come to the Capitol to work should feel safe and should have the protection of elected officials. In this case, I don’t see any evidence of sexual impropriety, and where’s the evidence of perjury?”
Price was censured after the House Ethics Committee published a report detailing an alleged “inappropriate relationship” with an intern, in addition to alleged threats toward a staff member and perjury. Both Price and the intern denied the relationship, according to the report.
May appeared on Sunday’s episode of “This Week in Missouri Politics” to discuss Price’s censure, the 2020 elections, and the riot on Capitol Hill earlier this month.
“When you’re protesting because of the unjust way an American life was taken by those who were supposed to serve and protect that individual, I think they started protesting all over the world,” she said. “This assault on our most sacred Capitol, the center of Democracy for America, based on an untruth or an unsubstantiated claim that the election was somehow stolen. … It’s absurd, and I think true Americans will understand that this was terrorism — this was no protest.”
COVID-19
State Reps. Trish Gunby and Jim Murphy, Sen. Paul Wieland’s chief of staff Jamey Murphy, and Kurt Witzel joined this week’s panel to discuss the House pausing its side of session for the week due to rising COVID-19 cases.
“A shorter session will be less productive than a longer session,” Witzel said. “Last year, when we went through the session, we lost a lot of time, and I’m hoping there’s some way the House and Senate can move forward even if it’s electronically. It’s a long process to go through the bills and hearings, and the more you can do upfront the more you can get things going.”
The panel also discussed the COVID-19 vaccines, with Gunby saying the key to increasing vaccination rates was communication with the public.
“I hope people elect to get the vaccine,” she said. “We need to get messages out there that it’s safe, how to get it, and how to register. St. Louis County and the city have online portals where you can register, and I think a lot of it is communication and messaging and that’s critical right now.”
Watch the full episode of “This Week in Missouri Politics” below, or listen to it here.
Cameron Gerber studied journalism at Lincoln University. Prior to Lincoln, he earned an associate’s degree from State Fair Community College. Cameron is a native of Eldon, Missouri.
Contact Cameron at cameron@themissouritimes.com.
