Hancock goes on offensive as lawmakers call for resignation

Update: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Rep. Galen Higdon as being present earlier today at a press conference. The story has been changed to reflect that he was not present.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — At the same time as some state lawmakers gathered to call for his resignation, Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock went on the offensive today to combat claims that he led an anti-Semitic “whisper campaign” against State Auditor Tom Schweich.

State Senators David Pearce, Mike Parson and Gary Romine, along with House Reps Bill White and Jim Neely all gathered in Pearce’s office early this morning to tell reporters that it was time for Hancock to resign for the good of the party.

“We’ve waited nine days since the funeral of Tom Schweich for positive changes and suggestions for ways the Missouri Republican Party to be better,” Pearce said. “At first it was felt that we should not rush to judgment, that we should investigate and get all the facts before a decision was made. Since then, we’ve been back in Jefferson City and from our Party, there’s been no suggested changes in campaign financing, no suggestions on how to change the negative nature of advertising, no suggestions on what to do with consultants ethics reform, nothing from our party.”

Pearce and other lawmakers confirmed that they had never personally heard Hancock made anti-Semitic remarks, but said that the damage had been done, and that Hancock’s failure to be more proactive were forcing them to make what they called a difficult decision. Pearce said he’d hoped to see Hancock meet with candidates and consultants to discuss changing the “tone” of primary politics.

Schweich’s father and grandfather were Jewish, but Schweich is an Episcopalian. Schweich told allies for months that he believed Hancock was spreading anti-Semitic rumors about him in an attempt to exploit prejudices against him. Hancock denies having ever mentioned Schweich’s religion in a demeaning or derogatory way, saying any time the topic may have come up would have simply been in the normal course of conversation.

Days before his death, Schweich planned to hold a press conference in which he claimed he would be demanding Hancock’s resignation based on anti-Semitic statements he’d made. Schweich’s allies, largely citing his lack of hard evidence, encouraged him not to do so, and several even advised him simply to leak the story to the press. Minutes before Schweich took his own life in his Clayton home days later, he made a series of phone calls to reporters in St. Louis, as well as his own staff, preparing to make public statements about Hancock.

Hancock, a longtime political consultant, had previously worked with Catherine Hanaway, who was running against Schweich in the Republican primary for governor. Schweich had long suspected Hancock to be working with Hanaway and believed he’d use his new position as MRP chairman to advance her campaign.

Hancock took to KMOX radio this morning to defend himself. Hancock cited a long career in politics devoid of any past allegations of anti-Semitic campaigns and chided Schweich allies for failing to produce sworn affidavits about his supposedly bigoted statemnts — affidavits some Schweich allies have whispered to the press will be released.

“It is clear there was no ‘whisper campaign,’” Hancock said in a statement on air.

Hancock also spoke about the “confusion” he felt after Schweich’s funeral, which featured a lengthy homily from Schweich’s longtime friend and former boss, Sen. Jack Danforth. Danforth slammed the Hanaway campaign and Hancock for “bullying” Schweich into suicide.

“In the end, I agree with Jack Danforth,’’ Hancock said. “Anti-Semitism and bigotry have no place in the Republican Party. They have no place on this planet. And I am grateful for the many who have defended me against gales charges just as vigorously as Senator Danforth once defended a friend who was nominated for the United States Supreme Court.”

Hancock released a Nov. 14 email exchange with Danforth in which the “whisper campaign” comes up, and Danforth tells Hancock he believes his denial.

So far, no party donors have come forward to confirm that Hancock made anti-Semitic statements about Schweich or anyone else, and Hancock’s own allies contend it is rumors of bigotry leveled against him that is the true “whisper campaign” in the Republican Party, directed at Hancock by individuals long at odds with the consultant.

Lawmakers in the Capitol also said that Hanaway would be forced to answer “tough questions” about her relationship with a campaign committee that ran a particularly nasty campaign ad against Schweich in the days leading up to his death.

“Citizens for Fairness” had at least one member who is a former campaign treasurer for Hanaway, and ran a campaign ad featuring a narrator that compared Schweich to Barney Fife and likened him to a “little bug” that Democrats in the general election would “squash.” Hanaway has denied any involvement in the production of the ad.