Pressure on Missouri governor to resign escalates
The pressure on Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to resign escalated dramatically Thursday, with two state Republican leaders and a top donor joining the call for him to step down a day after the release of an explosive report alleging he initiated unwanted sexual contact with a woman who worked as his hairdresser.
A onetime rising national star, Greitens is now in his lowest standing among Republican officials and donors since taking office in early 2017, facing intense criticism and even talk of impeachment.
But Greitens has stood defiant, showing no sign that he is preparing to leave office. The governor said Wednesday, when the report was released, that he is the target of a “witch hunt,” echoing language President Donald Trump has used to describe the special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Greitens has said that a separate criminal trial, sched- uled for next month, will exonerate him.
David Humphreys, a top Greitens donor, was part of a chorus of powerful Republicans who urged him to step down Thursday. State Senate Majority Leader Mike Kehoe and U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, Mo., also said he should go.
Abipartisan state House panel released a report Wednesday that included detailed testimony from a woman they deemed a “cred- ible witness.” The woman, Greitens’ former hairdresser, said that in 2015, he groped her and slapped her. She also said in testimony that he blindfolded her and taped her hands to exercise equipment and that she felt “coerced, maybe,” to perform oral sex on him.
Greitens has acknowledged having an extramarital affair but has denied engaging in any illegal conduct. He declined to tes- tify before the state House committee.
The lawmakers initiated their probe after allegations surfaced that Greitens had photographed the woman naked without her consent, and a St. Louis prosector brought a felony invasion of privacy charge against him.
But the testimony revealed in the state legislative report has spurred leading Republicans not to wait until the outcome of that trial to urge Greitens to step down.
“These new revelations describe behavior thatmakes it impossible to retain confidence in his ability to govern wisely and well,” Humphreys said in a written statement.
Kehoe said he had “come to the conclusion that [Greitens’] ability to lead is not going to be there.” He criticized Greitens for his “witch hunt” comment, saying it was “not the right position to be in at this time.”
Wagner wrote on Twitter that she was “disgusted, disheartened” and believes Greitens “is unfit to lead our state.”
On Thursday, Greitens was quiet on the subject.