Lawmakers call for Missouri GOP Chairman to resign

Intro:	Two weeks after state Auditor Tom Schweich committed suicide, some lawmakers are publicly calling for the resignation of the Missouri Republican Party Chairman
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Wrap: Senator David Pearce along with some of his colleagues called Thursday morning for the resignation of Missouri Republican Party chairman John Hancock.

Pearce said the Republican Party must move in a new direction after Auditor Tom Schweich's death.

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Description: "Right now, our party is at a crossroads. We need a change at the top and that's why we're John Hancock to resign as our chairman."

Hancock appeared on KMOX Radio in St. Louis and defended himself, saying he did not orchestrate a whisper campaign against Schweich or his religion.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Steven Anthony.

Intro:	The chairman of the Missouri Republican Party defended himself Thursday in the wake of him being accused of leading a whisper campaign against Auditor Tom Schweich before he committed suicide.
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Wrap: Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock appeared on KMOX Radio in St. Louis and said his fellow Republicans who have called on him to resign are not seeing the full picture.

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Description: "I guess I would say that now is the time to unify the party, not to divide it. I would say that it's disappointing that some fellow Republicans have jumped to conclusions before the truth has been fully revealed."

Just before Hancock said those words on KMOX, a few senators and House members gathered in Jefferson City to call on Hancock to resign, saying the party needs new leadership at the top.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Steven Anthony.

Intro:	One Republican senator who publicly called on Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock to resign says Hancock has done nothing to persuade people that he doesn't need to resign
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Wrap: Senator Gary Romine was joined by four fellow lawmakers Thursday where they called for Missouri GOP Chairman John Hancock to step down in the wake of State Auditor Tom Schweich's suicide.

Romine said Hancock needs to go because the party can't ignore what has happened.

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Description: "We can't just sit here and let this go away quietly, hope that if we keep it quiet, it'll go under the rug and disappear. At some point, we have to address the issue and it has not been done. If it had been done in a proactive way, I think we'd be at a different juncture at this point, but we're not."

Hancock appeared on KMOX Radio in St. Louis and denied allegations of running a whisper campaign against Schweich.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Steven Anthony.