Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has followed through on his promise to take action against the City of Kansas City. A social media account operated by the City revealed the residence for Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker in an act that Bailey claims was “retaliation”.
Bailey, speaking to Charly Arnolt on “OutKick the Morning”, said that his office had requested documents and records related to the city’s management of its social media account. This was after a posting last week by X revealed the location where Butker resides.
This post was published amid a backlash Butker received after he delivered a commencement address at a Kansas private Catholic school, in which he spoke as a Catholic.
Bailey said to Arnolt that “we have requested certain records from the City related to their management” of that social media page that doxed Harrison Butker as a retaliation against his freedom of expression.
“Let us paint this in the right light – it is the government retaliating for an individual’s expression of their deeply held religious beliefs. This is a clear violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act and his constitutional rights.
Butker, 28 has been criticized for his commencement address at Benedictine College. In his speech, Butker made references to the female graduates who embrace their “vocation” of “homemaker”, and President Biden as a Catholic’s position on abortion. He also made reference to the LGBTQ community about Pride Month.
“I support his right to freedom of expression of religion,” Bailey said that if you pay attention to the words used by this man, you will see that he is a Catholic who spoke to a Catholic crowd at a Catholic University and expressed his deeply held religious beliefs.
I will always stand up for anyone who wishes to express his or her religious beliefs and is protected by constitutional law.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Luscious addressed the controversy following the deletion of the post last week. He called it “clearly inappropriate.”
“Earlier this evening, a message appeared from a City account. The message was inappropriate to be posted on a public account. The City apologized correctly for the mistake, will review the account access, and ensure that nothing similar is shared from public channels in the future.”
Bailey was concerned that the mayor’s review could be an effort to close records to the Attorney General’s Office.
We won’t be stymied by the city when we demand accountability in this case.
Bailey demanded that anyone who posted the message be “fired or terminated immediately.”
We’ve requested certain documents and records about the management of that account and intend to investigate that matter and hold any wrongdoing accountable. I believe Harrison Butker has a case against the city, and I am deeply concerned that there are not enough controls in place to stop the government from being weaponized for violating individual rights.
