On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Democratic attorney general candidate Rich Finneran talks about his bid to unseat Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt — and his priorities for the office.
Finneran is running against Elad Gross in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. Gross’ appearance on Politically Speaking will be posted later this week.
Here’s what Finneran talked about during the show:
- His plans on how he would organize the attorney general’s office and recruit new staffers amid an uncertain economy. He also talked about how he would seek to fend off political pressures when formulating policy and making key decisions.
- What role the attorney general’s office should play in determining policy amid protests for police accountability. One idea that Finneran talked about was having the attorney general look into certain cases when a police officer uses deadly force.
- Finneran was critical of Schmitt’s decision to keep Missouri in a lawsuit that could upend the Affordable Care Act.
- He also talked about Schmitt’s decision to sue the Chinese government over the coronavirus — and discussed how he would handle litigation related to virus concerns.
Finneran is a University City resident who most recently worked for the Bryan Cave law firm. Before that, he served as an assistant U.S. Attorney during most of Richard Callahan’s tenure as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Finneran grew up in St. Louis County and got his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina. He then received his law degree from Washington University.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Rich Finneran on Twitter: @RichFinneran
Music: “Fancy Claps” by Wolf Parade
