Missouri’s slogan is the “Show Me State,” is something Gov. Eric Greitens is alleged to have taken way, way too far during an extramarital affair. He confirmed the affair in a public statement, but the additional details are far more damning. The woman who Greitens had the affair with was recorded by her ex-husband while she confessed the events back in 2015. At that time, she told her husband that Greitens talked her into coming to his house, where he tied her up, blindfolded her, and then took a photo or photos of her, threatening that if she told anyone of the affair that he would post them online. St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV has the details, including a transcript of the woman’s taped comments to her husband:
Woman: "He said: "I'll make you feel better. I'll make you feel good. Come downstairs. I want to show you how to do a proper pull-up. And I knew he was being sexual and I still let him. And he used some sort of tape, I don't what it was, and taped my hands to these rings and then put a blindfold on me.”
She went on to say that some of his actions-scared her.
Woman: "I didn't even know. I feel like I don't even know. I was just numb. I just stood there and didn't (expletive) know."
She went on, describing what Greitens allegedly did next that made her feel sick.
Woman: “He stepped back, I saw a flash through the blindfold and he said: "you're never going to mention my name, otherwise there will be pictures of me everywhere."
“He took a picture of my wife naked as blackmail. There is no worse person,” the ex-husband told News 4. And that is still what upsets him. He told News 4, “I think it's as bad as it gets, It’s as bad as it gets when someone takes advantage of something.”
Talking Points Memo got an additional troubling detail as a follow-up. Greitens allegedly slapped the woman during another encounter:
“Greitens invited her to the Greitens family home and into a guest bedroom,” Temple wrote in an email to TPM, describing what he had been told by the husband. “Before engaging in sex, Greitens asked if she had had sex with anyone since their last encounter. According to the account he gave me, she replied that she had had sex with her husband, at which time Greitens slapped her.”
Thus far, Greitens has denied everything except the affair itself. Jenee Osterheldt of the Kansas City Star absolutely nailed it: if the allegations of “revenge porn” are true, it’s a gross abuse of trust.
If it’s true, this is an abuse of trust, power and basic human decency. We shouldn’t have to ask for an investigation. It should already be happening.
Right now, some politicians from both parties are calling for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley to investigate his fellow Republican.
“The only way we can remove this cloud is to get all the facts,” said Sen. Gary Romine, a Republican from Farmington, south of St. Louis. “We need this to move as quickly as possible. If it exonerates him, we can move on. If it doesn’t, he needs to resign or face impeachment.”
It is up to Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley to immediately and expeditiously investigate these allegations against the top elected official in Missouri.
Jimmy Soni and Kaj Larsen, two men who worked closely with Greitens during his 2016 campaign, have also faced allegations of sexual misconduct. From the Huffington Post:
Soni, a former HuffPost managing editor, worked for Greitens as his administration’s top communications adviser for around three months in early 2017, leaving his post quietly with no announcement. Months later, he drew subsequent checks for communications work from Greitens’ campaign fund totaling about $8,000, Riverfront Times reported.
Soni began working at HuffPost in 2012 before leaving the company in May 2014 following an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct involving multiple women, two sources familiar with the situation said. A Gawker report published in September of that year referenced an exchange between Soni and several editors, as told by a former staffer, in which Soni joked about using the publication’s editorial fellowship program to “find myself a wife.” In another report, a woman said she had a consensual sexual relationship with Soni when she was an 18-year-old intern and he had already been made managing editor. Other women said he had a habit of flirting with young female staffers.
And:
Having served as Vice’s Los Angeles bureau chief, Larsen was fired from the company late last year after sexual misconduct allegations against him surfaced. A Vice producer, Phoebe Barghouty, told The Daily Beast about a series of unwanted sexual advances, saying Larsen would touch her on her lower back or bare thigh and asked her to accompany him to parties in Hollywood Hills. Once, he passed out in her car after becoming very drunk and bringing up sex, she said.
For their part, Missouri Democrats are also calling for an immediate investigation:
Statement from Senate Democratic Leaders Sen. Walsh and Sen. Curls
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Senate Democratic Leaders Sen. Gina Walsh (D – Bellefontaine Neighbors) and Sen. Kiki Curls (D-Kansas City) today issued the following statement:
“In light of the very serious allegations made against the governor, there are many questions still left unanswered. But let’s be clear - violence and threats against women are never acceptable. Allegations of extortion, coercion, or threats of violence must be investigated by the proper authorities. People accused of these egregious acts do not get to waive off the scrutiny of law enforcement simply because they are in a position of power; and victims of these crimes deserve our full support.”
Will Republicans do the right thing? It’s time for them to show us their character and morality.
Of course, Eric Greitens could simply do the right thing and resign so Missouri can move forward without a cloud of abuse of power tainting the governor’s office.