Lawmaker defies calls to resign over Trump assassination post

Sen. JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — Maria Chappelle-Nadal was adamant Friday that she isn’t resigning over a Facebook post calling for President Donald Trump’s assassination.

Chappelle-Nadal, a University City Democrat, has faced calls by Missouri’s top Democrats and Republicans demanding she resign from the Legislature over a comment she posted on her personal Facebook Thursday: “I hope Trump is assassinated.”

Among those calling for her resignation were the chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Chappelle-Nadal deleted the comment and said posting it was a mistake. She said she posted the comment out of frustration with Trump’s statements about recent events in Charlottesville, Va., where an alleged white supremacist drove his car into a crowd, killing a 32-year-old woman.

But in a series of tweets, she struck a defiant tone.

“I am not resigning,” she said. “When (people of color) are respected by this (White House) & they are willing to do real work, I’ll sit down with them. People are traumatized!”

She then retweeted statements of support along with racist comments she began receiving after news broke about her Facebook post.

She also tweeted a link to “I Stand With Maria” website.

“Out of anger and frustration, I said something that could have been reframed,” she said. “And I refuse to shy away from the hypocrisy and chaos our country is enduring under Trump.”

But the calls for her resignation grew louder. Joining the chorus late Thursday was House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, a Kansas City Democrat and the highest-ranking black lawmaker in Missouri.

Both Senate President Ron Richard, a Joplin Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Kehoe, a Jefferson City Republican, echoed the call for resignation.