ST. LOUIS — Freedom Principle MO is calling for the resignations of Missouri Senate leaders after several Freedom Caucus members were removed from their committee assignments and faced cuts in their staff salaries.
The group recently launched an online petition calling for the resignations of Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden (Dist. 19) and Majority Leader Senator Cindy O'Laughlin (Dist. 18), and it also called for the Senate to conduct a vote of no-confidence.
The petition, which had more than 1,100 signatures according to Freedom Principle MO President Byron Keelin, was launched after four Senators – Bill Eigel (Dist. 23), Andrew Koenig (Dist. 15), Rick Brattin (Dist. 31) and Denny Hoskins (Dist. 21) – were removed from the committee assignments. The group claims the senators, who are Freedom Caucus members, also had their parking spaces revoked and staff salaries cut.
"What we saw in the Senate today was nothing short of two children getting mad and throwing a temper tantrum because they would rather protect and promote their special interest donors than serve the citizens of Missouri," Freedom Principle MO President Byron Keelin said in a press release.“Senator Rowden and Senator O’Laughlin have proven they don’t care about protecting our Constitution.”
The group alleged in its release that the Missouri Freedom Caucus Senators were removed from their committee assignments and faced other actions because of their work on proposed bills "addressing initiative petition reform assigned to committees." According to Freedom Principle MO, the proposed "reform bills" would require future constitutional amendments to be approved by voters as well as a state legislative district majority or U.S. Congressional districts majority.
“We stand behind the Missouri Freedom Caucus as they continue to fight to push conservative bills and protect Missouri’s constitution from out-of-state dark money influences,” Keelin stated in the release.
In its Petition the group called for the leaders to "immediately resign their leadership positions and for the Senate to immediately elect new leadership to recast a courageous and conservative vision to create and grow the Republican leadership in our state."
"It was a clear message to these senators that Missourians are sick of the weak, special interest-controlled leadership blocking critical legislation that could protect our constitution from radical, dark-money, out-of-state funded initiative petitions," Keelin told The St. Louis Record.
"We wanted Senators to know Missourians are supporting the Missouri Freedom Caucus's effort to protect the Constitution and are outraged at the temper tantrum displayed by Senate Pro Tem Caleb Rowden and Majority Floor Leader Cindy O'Laughlin," Keelin said.
The group also called out Rowden and O'Laughlin for the leaders' allegedly referring to members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus and Republican Senate Colleagues as “Legislative Terrorists.”
Neither Rowden nor O'Laughlin could be reached for comment.