This interview will be on “St. Louis on the Air” at noon Friday. This story will be updated after the show. You can listen live.
Earlier this month, the Missouri House voted to censure one of its members. State Representative Wiley Price, a Democrat from St. Louis, is accused of having sex with an intern and threatening to fire the aide who reported it.
But now Price’s Democratic colleagues are the ones under fire.
Just one Democrat joined with Republicans in their effort to expel Price from the legislature, leaving the effort short of the two-thirds majority needed. And last week, legislative aides who work for Democratic lawmakers accused party leaders of doing more to protect their colleague than their employees. The staffers teamed up to submit an anonymous piece to the Missouri Independent, saying Democrats were wrong to oppose Price’s expulsion.
They wrote, “People who we admire actively let us down, and people for whom we have no warm feelings rushed to our defense. It is shameful that the Democratic Caucus, a group that consistently claims the mantle of championing dignity for working people, should be so complicit in worsening an already toxic environment for their own employees.”
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, Missouri Independent Editor-In-Chief Jason Hancock will discuss the backlash that followed the censure vote.
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Democrat from Kansas City, declined to come on the program, saying, “I am currently in the process of holding individual meetings with any staff who would like one. Due to the personnel nature of this conversation, I regret that at this time I have to turn down the invitation.”
Price did not respond to a request for comment.
Are legislative aides right to call out Democratic lawmakers for opposing Rep. Price’s removal? Tweet us (@STLonAir), send an email to talk@stlpublicradio.org or share your thoughts via our St. Louis on the Air Facebook group, and help inform our coverage.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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