Republicans bar incoming Missouri lawmaker accused of child abuse from party caucus
An incoming Missouri Republican lawmaker accused of physical and sexual abuse by his adult children won’t be allowed to join the House Republican caucus while a committee investigates him.
Rep-elect Rick Roeber, of Lee’s Summit, will face an inquiry by the House Ethics Committee when he is sworn into the General Assembly in January, Republican leaders announced Monday after GOP legislators gathered to discuss how to handle the allegations against Roeber.
The decision by Republicans to deny Roeber membership in their caucus—effectively branding him a political outcast— fell short of requests by his children and Democrats to block him from taking office, though the House could later vote to expel him.
“Our House Leadership team takes the troubling allegations against Rep. Elect Rick Roeber very seriously and we have decided he will not be a member of our caucus at this time,” Speaker-elect Rob Vescovo, Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann and incoming Majority Leader Dean Plocher said in a joint statement.
Roeber’s children went public with the allegations against their father in September. Anastasia Roeber, his adopted daughter, said he made improper sexual advances toward her in 1990, when she was 9. Samson Roeber said he suffered physical abuse as a child. And Gabrielle Galeano said she was aware of the alleged abuse while living with Anastasia, Samson and another sibling.
Roeber on Monday declined to comment but provided The Star with an email he sent to House leaders in which he wrote he is “guiltless of any of the accusations against me and will be fully exonerated through due process.”
“I see the wisdom in making me a Caucus of One at this juncture to allow any ethics complaints against me to be investigated and discussed,” he wrote.
The Missouri Democratic Party called for more action, saying on Twitter that he shouldn’t be seated.
The decision by Republicans comes after Roeber’s children sent a letter to Vescovo in November, urging him to stop Roeber from taking office.
“As the highest office holder in the Missouri House, we are begging you to not allow this to happen,” they wrote.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 1:33 PM.
