JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House is pressing ahead with a demand for documents about a nonprofit group that supports Gov. Eric Greitens’ agenda.
Greitens has said he will resign at 5 p.m. Friday. That created some uncertainty about whether his campaign committee and a pro-Greitens group called A New Missouri still must comply with a court order to provide records to the House by Friday.
A House spokesman confirmed Thursday that the chamber still expects the subpoenaed records to be provided.
The subpoenas seek documents and communications related to potential coordination between Greitens, his campaign and A New Missouri. The Cole County court order said the nonprofit could redact the names of donors.
Attorney Catherine Hanaway, who represents both the nonprofit and Greitens’ campaign, said Thursday that they are reviewing their options.
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1:30 p.m.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney has placed a price tag on the cost of prosecuting two felony cases against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens: $65,000 so far.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Gardner offered the estimate Thursday during an aldermanic committee meeting. She was responding to a question from Alderman Joseph Vaccaro, who asked how much her office had “wasted” on the cases.
Gardner later told reporters she believed her office used its resources efficiently and effectively. She says all bills haven’t been tallied but the final total won’t reach $100,000.
Gardner on Wednesday announced her office was dismissing a computer data tampering charge against the Republican governor that alleged he used a charity donor list for political purposes.
Greitens also was indicted in February on invasion of privacy stemming from a 2015 extramarital affair. Gardner’s office dropped the case during jury selection. A special prosecutor is deciding whether to refile it.
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11:50 a.m.
Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Parson is holding a prayer service and then a swearing-in ceremony to assume the governorship.
Parson will take over after current Gov. Eric Greitens resigns Friday amid allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations.
Both Greitens and Parson are Republicans, but the two ran separately and individually won races for their respective offices in 2016.
The prayer service at a Jefferson City Baptist church and swearing-in for Parson will be closed to the general public. Judge Mary Rhodes Russell will preside over Parson’s swearing in.
Parson has cited time constraints for the initial private ceremony. Greitens announced his resignation just days before on Tuesday.
Parson has said he’ll plan a public reception later.
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Midnight
Analysts say Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens could find a political revival challenging, especially in a #MeToo environment where he would be vulnerable to attack for allegedly taking a compromising photo of a woman during an extramarital affair.
The Republican and former Navy SEAL officer has hinted at a possible political comeback, declaring during his resignation announcement Tuesday that “this is not the end of our fight.”
He is stepping down Friday amid allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign violations but is still defiantly asserting that he’s done nothing worthy of being forced out of office.
Even though he’s quitting amid scandal, some Greitens voters said they still like him. Retiree Wilma Nelson said she would be open to voting for Greitens again if he sought to re-enter politics.
