ST. LOUIS (KTRS) A St. Louis grand jury has indicted Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens for invasion of privacy in connection to the governor’s affair with his former hairdresser three years ago. Greitens’ attorney called the indictment “baseless and unfounded,” and says he will seek to have it dismissed. Greitens has been booked and released on his own recognizance. The governor will face a court appearance March 16. Court records show that Greitens will appear before Circuit Judge Rex Burlison. No further details about the hearing were released.
Gov. Greitens, a Republican, acknowledged the affair last month but he denied he tried to blackmail the woman with a nude photo of her blindfolded. The woman had told her ex-husband about the affair, not knowing he was tape recording their conversation. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner launched a criminal investigation into the case and today announced the grand jury indictment. In her news release, Gardner says it is a felony if a person transmits an image “in a manner that allows access to that image via a computer.” Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, was elected Missouri governor two years ago on a platform of doing away with business as usual at the state capitol.
Some Democratic lawmakers are calling on Gov. Greitens to resign or be impeached following his indictment on a felony invasion-of-privacy charge. House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty said Thursday that Greitens should consider resigning. She said it “will be extremely difficult for him to effectively do his job with a felony indictment hanging over his head.”
Democratic Sen. Jamilah Nasheed called on Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson to begin impeachment proceedings against Greitens. Richardson had no immediate comment.
