Schmitt Requests MSU Professor Emails Amid Twitter Criticism

Missouri Attorney General (AG) and Republican candidate for Senate, Eric Schmitt, has requested emails of Missouri State University (MSU) professor Jon Turner following tweets criticizing Schmitt’s campaign. This is dangerous behavior from Schmitt because he is using his position as AG to intimidate his critics. To find out why the professor criticized Schmitt and how this behavior compares to Trudy Busch Valentine’s approach to education, we’ll take a closer look at the situation.

Following a tweet calling Schmitt, “ANTI-TEACHER” in early April, Jon Turner received a letter from the AG’s office requesting email records from the past three months.

Although the Schmitt campaign claims the request was filed as “a part of a fact-finding process we undertook that was looking into the practices and policies of education in our state,” the timing seems inconsistent with rest of the investigation since previous subpoenas and requests were filed between March and April.

The timing of this request with recent tweets by Turner led him to believe the request was made to intimidate, saying, “I perceived it as a shot across my bow to say, ‘Hey, buddy, we’re watching you. And you are on our radar.’ And so I took it as an attempted intimidation factor,”

Erich Schmitt's campaign website's statement on cancel culture

While the investigation is ongoing and MSU declines to comment, it seems rather ironic for Schmitt to use his current office to intimidate social media critics considering his staunch stance against online censorship and cancel culture.

In fact, Schmitt doesn’t have the best record when it comes to intimidation of educators. His office launched the Students First Initiative, which “aims to ensure a quality education for Missouri’s children by uncovering and eliminating curriculum and policies and practices that prioritize politics in the classroom instead of student education and success.” An “objectionable” example includes asking students to analyze a novel through a “critical lens” (the teacher used feminist and Marxist lenses as examples, which brought the assignment to Schmitt’s attention).

An example of an objectionable assignment from the AG's office

Although Schmitt claims to be protecting quality education, what he’s actually doing is preserving the status quo and furthering government overreach. The Attorney General should not be looking at my little sister’s assignments unless he’s planning on submitting his own work for a grade. My aunt who works as an instructional coach for her school district shouldn’t have to worry about if her curriculum is “indoctrinating” kids, she should be worried about how to best teach students. My aunt who is an elementary school teacher shouldn’t be thinking about if a parent is going to report her to the AG, she should be teaching basic math. My friends who are becoming teachers didn’t go to school because they want to indoctrinate their students, they earned their degrees and chose this career path because they wanted to make sure that the next generation is brighter and better than previous ones. For being the candidate of the party that does not support government overreach, Eric Schmitt sure doesn’t mind getting into things he should leave alone.

On the other hand, Trudy Busch Valentine works to put teachers, parents, and students first, not name recognition or political gain. She has earned the endorsement of the National Education Association, which is one of the largest unions in the United States. In the endorsement statement, Missouri NEA President Phil Murray said, “Trudy has demonstrated that she will work in partnership with parents, teachers, and the community to ensure students, regardless of zip code, have the support, tools, and time to learn.”

Turner hasn’t let Schmitt’s records request deter him from voicing his political opinion. He continues to call out Schmitt and other Missouri politicians and policies on his social media. Scare tactics from politicians don’t end well – in this case, Eric Schmitt’s approach has demonstrated to Missouri voters yet another reason to not vote for him – he only cares about political gain, not students. If you agree with Jon Turner or you feel hesitant to vote for the guy that sues schools, I encourage you to vote for Trudy Busch Valentine, or, at the very least, look into other issues that matter to you. To request an absentee ballot for this election, click here. To find your polling place to vote in person on November 8, click here.