Prosecutor drops charge against Missouri governor
Greitens acknowledged affair but denied taking revealing photo of woman
ST. LOUIS — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens declared victory Monday as prosecutors abruptly dropped a felony invasion-ofprivacy charge alleging he had taken a revealing photo of a woman with whom he has acknowledged having an affair.
The St. Louis circuit attorney’s office said it hopes still to pursue the case, either through a special prosecutor or an appointed assistant. But Greitens’ attorneys said the case was crumbling under a lack of evidence and doubted any charge would ever be refiled.
The first-term Republican governor still faces plenty of other problems. The Legislature is to convene Friday in a monthlong special session to consider whether to impeach Greitens in an attempt to remove him from office. And Greitens still faces a second felony charge for allegedly disclosing a donor list from a St. Louis-based veterans’ charity he founded for use in his political campaign.
Greitens, who has long denied any criminal wrongdoing, emerged from the courthouse Monday with at least a momentary vindication.
“Today the prosecutor has dropped the false charges against me. This is a great victory and it has been a long time coming,” Greitens told reporters outside the St. Louis circuit courthouse. “This experience has been humbling and I have emerged from it a changed man.”
The prosecutor’s surprise move, announced after the third day of jury selection, came after the judge granted a request by Greitens’ lawyers to call St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner as a witness. Greitens’ defense team has repeatedly criticized Gardner’s handling of the case, particularly her hiring of private investigator William Tisaby, whom Greitens’ lawyers have accused of perjury.