Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Rep. Cori Bush and state Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, both Democrats, for participating in protests that passed the McCloskeys' home in 2020.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in St. Louis Circuit Court claims Bush and Aldridge encouraged demonstrators who walked in the McCloskeys’ Central West End neighborhood to protest outside of then-St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson’s home.
McCloskey said that Bush and Aldridge led the protest and that some demonstrators made threats and damaged property, including a 132-year-old gate in their neighborhood.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
“We were the victims of that mob action and that’s what we filed the lawsuit for, to obtain compensation for the damages that that mob did,” McCloskey said.
The lawsuit comes two years after the McCloskeys confronted protesters with guns. Prosecutors charged the couple with unlawful use of a weapon. The McCloskeys later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and received pardons from Gov. Mike Parson.
A representative for Bush could not be reached for comment. Aldridge called the lawsuit comical and a publicity stunt.
“We’ve moved on from that,” Aldridge said. “It was two years ago, he had his little moment, he’s running, great. But I just see this as a desperate attempt to try and get some news media, some public outlets to talk about it.”
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