via Wikimedia Commons
More details about Missouri Governor Eric Greitens' extramarital affair with a woman in 2015 were released yesterday in a report by a special Missouri House committee.
In the report, the woman, who was his hairdresser, she felt "fearful" and "coerced" into performing oral sex with Greitens at his home in March of that year. She also said that moments before the encounter, he had taped her hands to exercise rings, blindfolded her, and removed her clothes without her consent so that she was partially undressed—and that she then saw a flash through the blindfold. The woman alleged that Greitens told her, "Don't even mention my name to anybody at all, because if you do, I'm going to take these pictures, and I'm going to put them everywhere I can."
The report also included details about Greitens allegedly searching her purse the first time she came to his house and feeling high up her leg during a hair appointment, and, on other occasions, slapping her or shoving her to the ground.
Yesterday afternoon, an hour before the report was released, Greitens addressed reporters outside his Jefferson City office and denied the report's allegations. "The report being released tonight will include lies and falsehoods," he said. "I want to say what I have said from the beginning. This is a political witch hunt. In just 33 days, a court of law and a jury of peers will let every person in Missouri know the truth and prove my innocence."
Greitens is slated to stand trial next month for a felony charge of invasion of privacy.
The report noted that the governor had declined to testify before the committee, “stating through counsel that he would be willing to testify at the conclusion of the criminal trial. Greitens also declined to provide documents, or answer interrogatories under oath."
The report did, however, quote his earlier response to the Associated Press, in which he emphasized that it was a consensual relationship: "There was no blackmail. There was no violence. There was no threat of violence. There was no threat of blackmail. There was no threat of using a photograph for blackmail. All of those things are false."
At yesterday's press conference, Greitens added, "I will continue to serve the people of Missouri as their governor and to work for you every day."
But following the report's release, numerous Missouri politicians—both Republicans and Democrats—called for the governor to resign.
In a statement, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is challenging Senator Claire McCaskill's seat, said the report "contains shocking, substantial, and corroborated evidence of wrongdoing by Governor Greitens." He also said it is "certainly impeachable, in my judgment, and the House is well within its rights to proceed on that front. But the people of Missouri should not be put through that ordeal. Governor Greitens should resign immediately.”
McCaskill also called for Greitens' resignation on Twitter.
State Auditor Nicole Galloway, Missouri's only other statewide Democratic officeholder, urged Greitens to "summon the integrity to resign."
U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R–Ballwin) tweeted of Missouri's governor, "I believe Governor Greitens is unfit to lead our state."
State Rep. Jean Evans (R–Manchester) called for Greitens to "do what is in the best interest of the people of Missouri and resign."
State Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. (D–St. Louis City) said the "horrible details" in the report justify the governor's resignation.
State Rep. Doug Beck (D–Affton) also called for Greitens' resignation, stating, "If the Governor does not resign immediately, then the House of Representatives should take the appropriate steps to restore dignity to the Office of the Governor."
It was a sentiment echoed by Missouri House Minority Leader Gina Walsh (D–Bellefontaine Neighbors), who stated: “Based on the shocking and unsettling events detailed in this report, we have no faith in Eric Greitens’ ability to effectively govern. He must resign immediately. If he refuses to do the right thing, the Missouri House of Representatives should move forward with the impeachment process.”
Former Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, who ran against Greitens in the 2016 gubernatorial primary, also believes the governor should step down. "I ask that Gov. Greitens resign his office or, failing that, I call on my friends in the House of Representatives to commence impeachment," he said in a statement.
Kinder's statement also referenced a 2016 debate between the two men during their primary race. After mentioning his suspicions about the source of Greitens' campaign money, Greitens retorted, "Lt. Gov. Kinder is the last person on this stage who should be talking about men hanging out in strip clubs," referring to a 2011 controversy about Kinder’s prior relationship with a stripper.
"As he campaigned for Governor, Eric Greitens decried corruption in our state capitol," Kinder said in a statement. "This included a debate lecture to me about a time, decades earlier, when I'd failed to live up to that standard. When he won the primary and general elections, and then as he took office, we Republicans hoped for the best. Those hopes have been dashed into bitter disappointment."
A Joplin businessman who donated more than $2 million to Greitens' gubernatorial campaign in 2016 has pulled his support for the governor. According to The Kansas City Star, David Humphreys, the president and CEO of Joplin-based manufacturer Tamko Building Products Inc., has said that he is "deeply disappointed."
"While these actions took place before his election and are otherwise arguably a private matter, the testimony reveals behavior that should not be tolerated anywhere, but especially not by those holding public office," he said. "Gov. Greitens should resign as these new revelations describes behavior that makes it impossible to retain confidence in his ability to govern wisely and well."
Editor's Note: This article has been updated with additional reactions from area lawmakers and David Humphreys.
