Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Missouri Republican Rep Committing Mail, Voting, and Mortgage Fraud

Ex-Resident of MO’s 107th District Needs to Update His Facebook Profile

Last week, we reported that Missouri State Rep Nick Schroer (R), the state GOP’s MAGA man of the year, won an initial decision from a Republican judge that allowed him to move permanently out of district while he runs for reelection. The decision implicitly states that any congressional rep—and potentially any candidate—can live wherever they want provided they “intend” to represent any district they want. No, seriously, the way the judgement is written would permit, for example, a full-time Kansas resident to become a candidate for, say, Governor of Missouri. State law is clear that anyone who wishes to run for office in any congressional district has to have been a full-time resident of that district for at least one year or more. This is a(noter) case of Republican leadership letting one of its leading conservative wackos have his cake and eat it, well, wherever the fuck he feels like it.

Schroer Posing with Trump’s Favorite White Supremacists from St. Louis

Yesterday, a panel of appeal judges agreed with the judge in St. Charles, MO. This judge backs up that judge’s decision, affirming that because Schroer signed a sham lease (to live, let’s remember, in an empty, unfurnished and unfinished basement that that didn’t, and doesn’t, have a legal rental occupancy permit—note to Schroer, you could have AT LEAST rented a fucking apartment, dude) it’s totally fine that he lied on his mortgage application. The latest judgment reaffirms that because even though Schroer claimed on his mortgage application that his new home in Defiance, MO is his single, permanent residence, he doesn’t have to be removed from the ballot because he testified that his intention is to represent the good folks of his old (oh sorry CURRENT) district. This keys up a potentially bigger legal fight as the case winds its way through the appeals process.

Schroer claims that his move was prompted by a special-needs daughter who had educational requirements that the O’Fallon school system could not handle, prompting the family to move to Defiance. No one is arguing whether or not he is entitled to relocate his family. The issue is whether or not he’s still living FULL TIME in a district where he is currently running to represent.

The owners of the O’Fallon, MO home where he is currently registered to vote and receive his mail is not a rental property and does not have an occupancy permit (we just wanted to point that out twice in case there was any confusion). In testimony, the owners of the home couldn’t mention a single time they’ve seen Schroer at the house where he claims to be a full-time resident. The conservative-leaning Missouri Times (that’s being kind) referred, in an October 30th post about the appeal decision, to the residence as “an apartment” which is as disingenuous and full of shit as Schroer’s claims that he lives there. (You can also read the galling and jaw-dropping decision of the appeals court there.)

Kyle Garner, Executive Director of the St. Charles Democratic Party, posted this on Facebook after the decision: “The appeals court in Missouri affirmed the ruling that anyone, anywhere in the world, is now eligible for all Missouri elected offices. I am declaring my intent to serve constituents in any district in the state. By the new precedent, that makes me eligible even if the ONLY testimony to my residence is my own AND all other evidence including my own sworn statements and legal declarations contradict that testimony.”

Here’s Schroer’s predictably martyr-y post about winning (why do they always sound like they’re being persecuted when they actually win ALL THE TIME here?)

Schroer’s Whiny Ass Post About Winning His Appeal on 10/30

So, if this ruling stands: ANY candidate who lives ANYWHERE in Missouri can run for ANY office no matter where they live provided that they declare their intent is to serve that district. Also, let’s face it, provided that they’re a Republican. We all know how the rules work in Missouri. Next November, we may be reporting on a new trend of couch surfers running for state congress from lakefront estates in the Ozarks. Also, what MO State Rep Peter Merideth said: