© AP Photo/Jim SalterMissouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens called on state lawmakers to expel state Democratic Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal for her refusal to apologize for a call to have President Trump assassinated.
"Senator Chappelle-Nadal said she hopes the president is killed. Republicans and Democrats have called on her to resign. Her response: 'Hell no.' Last night, in an interview, she refused to apologize - twice. If she will not resign, the Senate can vote to remove her. I believe they should," Greitens said in a statement Friday.
Earlier Friday, Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, warned that if she does not resign, "I will, in my position as president of the Missouri Senate, immediately seek the expulsion pursuant to Article III Section 18 of the Missouri Constitution."
Chappelle-Nadal admitted Thursday that she posted a now-deleted comment on her private Facebook page expressing a hope that Trump "is assassinated" for his remarks regarding the racial violence in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend. The Secret Service, which must investigate all threats against a U.S. president, is investigating the matter.
Chappelle-Nadal has rejected calls from Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill and other top state Democrats that she step down.
"I do not wish harm to anyone. I could have chosen and should have chosen better language. I do not think it is worthy of expelling me from the Senate. I am owning up to it. He makes me mad from time to time. He says outrageous things. My emotions got the best of me," she told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Comment: "My emotions got the best of me." That's why you shouldn't be in office.