No blackmail, says governor on affair

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In his first interview since acknowledging an extramarital affair, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said Saturday that there was “no blackmail” by him in what he described as a “consensual relationship” with his former hairdresser.

Greitens told The Associated Press that he has no plans to resign from office as a result of the affair, despite calls to step aside from several Republican and Democratic state lawmakers.

Describing his relationship with his wife, staff members and supporters, he said, “We’re strong.”

Greitens, 43, has remained out of the public eye since shortly after delivering his State of the State address Jan. 10. Later that night, St. Louis television station KMOV reported that Greitens had an extramarital affair in 2015 as he was preparing to run for governor.

The report included an audio recording of a conversation between a woman and her then-husband — recorded secretly by the husband — in which the woman said Greitens had bound her hands and blindfolded her, taken a photo of her partially nude and warned her to remain silent during an encounter in his St. Louis home.

Greitens did not directly say “yes” or “no” when asked Saturday if he had bound, blindfolded and taken a photo of the woman.

But, he said, “This was a consensual relationship. There was no blackmail, there was no violence, there was no threat of violence, there was no threat of blackmail, there was no threat of using a photograph for blackmail.”