I haven’t mentioned the circus going on down in Missouri, as I figured it’d fade away – but, instead, it’s become more of a train accident. The Governor, Eric Greitens (R-MO), was initially accused of taking a photo of a woman who was nude against her wishes. She was having an affair with him. Then he was accused of forcing her into oral sex. Now Politico notes that he’s accused of mismanaging a charity he ran in the past:
St. Louis prosecutors filed criminal charges against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Friday over his handling of a donors list for his veterans charity, the newest controversy for the governor, who is facing separate allegations of blackmail and sexual assault and a felony charge alleging invasion of privacy.
Missouri’s attorney general, Josh Hawley, announced on Friday that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner had found probable cause to file criminal charges against the governor in the case. Prosecutors allege that Greitens improperly used the donor list for his charity organization, The Mission Continues, during his 2016 political campaign.
Adding a bit of spiciness to this stew is the news that the Attorney General bringing the charges, Josh Hawley, is not only a Republican himself, but is gunning for the Senate seat currently held by Claire McCaskill (D-MO), which is currently considered the seat most likely to be flipped from Democratic to Republican control.
Hawley is engaged in a delicate dance here. Will voters consider this the actions of an honorable prosecutor, simply doing his duty? Or, sensing that Greitens is critically injured, he’s decided to push some dubious charges in hopes of getting more publicity, but it comes off wrong and it buries him instead?
Greitens, for what it’s worth, is loudly protesting this treatment. He admits to the affair, but after that it’s all just fantasy:
In a lengthy statement issued Friday, Greitens was defiant and claimed prosecutors were unfairly targeting him:
“Two months ago, a prosecutor brought a case against me. She claimed she had evidence of a crime — but she’s produced none. She said her investigator would find the truth. Instead, her investigator lied under oath and created false evidence. And she is using thousands and thousands of taxpayer dollars to do all of this. Her case is falling apart — so today, she’s brought a new one.”
It continued: “By now, everyone knows what this is: this prosecutor will use any charge she can to smear me. Thank goodness for the Constitution and our court system. In the United States of America, you’re innocent until proven guilty.”
I understand the first couple of charges were brought by someone other than Hawley. In any case, it’s a spectacle: a sitting governor under not one, but multiple serious indictments. Will this reflect poorly on the Republican brand – or just Greitens? Or even Hawley?
