via Wikimedia Commons
Missouri Governor Eric Greitens
On April 17, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is running for Senator Claire McCaskill's seat, announced that his office found evidence of "potential criminal wrongdoing" by Governor Eric Greitens involving a veterans charity.
In a press conference, Hawley said he believes that Greitens obtained a list of potential donors from the nonprofit that Greitens founded, The Mission Continues, and used it for political gain during his 2016 gubernatorial campaign—a claim that the Associated Press first reported in 2016. The act would be considered a felony if the donation value exceeded $500, which Hawley claims it does.
"If proven, these acts could amount to the unauthorized taking and use of property, in this case, electronic property," Hawley said at the press conference. "Under Missouri law, this is known as computer tampering. And given the value of the list in question, it is a felony."
Hawley also said his office, which doesn't have jurisdiction to prosecute, has been granted permission to share its findings with St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. Hawley said he also plans to share the findings with a special Missouri House committee that is investigating the governor.
Greitens denied the allegations. In a statement, he said, "Fortunately for Josh, he’s better at press conferences than the law. Anyone who has set foot in a Missouri courtroom knows these allegations are ridiculous. Josh has turned the 'evidence' he claims to have over to St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a liberal prosecutor funded by George Soros who allegedly suborned perjury, falsified documents, and withheld evidence. We will dispense with these false allegations."
Then, on April 20, Gardner officially charged Greitens with felony computer tampering, in part because of the evidence Hawley shared with her office. The governor responded on Facebook: "Her original case is falling apart—so today, she’s brought a new one. By now, everyone knows what this is: this prosecutor will use any charge she can to smear me… I will have my day in court. I will clear my name.”
Greitens is scheduled to stand trial next month for a felony charge of invasion of privacy for allegedly photographing a woman with whom he'd had an affair in a state of undress without her permission in 2015 and allegedly having threatened to release the photos if she exposed the affair. St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison rejected the defense's motion to dismiss the case, following allegations of Gardner withholding evidence.
On April 11, a special Missouri House committee released a separate report that included allegations of Greitens committing sexual coercion and violence against the woman. An hour before the report's release, Greitens held a press conference where he called the investigation "a political witch hunt" and claimed that the report includes "lies and falsehoods."
After the report was released, Hawley, other Missouri lawmakers, and Greitens campaign donor David Humphreys called for Greitens' resignation. In a statement, Hawley said the committee's report "contains shocking, substantial, and corroborated evidence of wrongdoing by Governor Greitens." Hawley added that 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.”
Greitens' attorney Edward L. Dowd Jr. later wrote a letter obtained by the Associated Press that suggested the attorney general should recuse himself from the case because he is “clearly compromised” and has “predetermined the guilt of his own investigative target.”
At the April 17 press conference, Hawley said, “I’m doing my job and my job is to enforce the laws of Missouri and to protect the people of Missouri. I’m going to go on doing it no matter who criticizes me or tries to intimidate me."
Hawley isn't the only state lawmaker accusing the governor of intimidating Missouri politicians. In mid-April, Missouri Scout’s David Drebes “quoted an anonymous state representative as saying that a political operative working for Greitens was threatening to cut off campaign funds from big donors if lawmakers didn't support the embattled governor,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
McCaskill retweeted the report, adding, "That is rampant corruption. Hope someone in law enforcement investigates."
Amid the string of allegations surrounding the governor, spokesperson Parker Briden told the Post, “Things have been busy recently, there’s no doubt about that, but the team here is used to a fast pace and working across multiple fronts... The governor and our office are pushing forward with important reforms and we’re working to get results for people.”
Shortly after Hawley's press conference, House Speaker Todd Richardson (R–Poplar Bluff), House Majority Leader Rob Vescovo (R–Arnold), and House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr (R–Springfield) issued a joint statement saying, “When leaders lose the ability to effectively lead our state, the right thing to do is step aside. In our view, the time has come for the governor to resign.”
Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (R–Joplin) echoed the sentiment, saying, “it is my wish that we immediately start impeachment proceedings.”
Greitens responded via Twitter, writing, "I will not be resigning the Governor's office. In three weeks, this matter will go to a court of law—where it belongs and where the facts will prove my innocence. Until then, I will do what the people of Missouri sent me here to do: to serve them and work hard on their behalf.”
Editor's Note: This article has been updated from an earlier version. We will update the story with additional developments.
