Missouri will consider governor’s impeachment

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In a historic move, Missouri lawmakers announced Thursday that they are calling themselves into a special session to consider impeaching Gov. Eric Greitens following allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of charity resources.

House and Senate leaders said they had gathered more than the constitutionally required signatures of three-fourths of the members of each chamber to summon themselves into a special session that will start at 6:30 p.m. May 18 — just 30 minutes after the end of the regular session.

It will mark the first time in Missouri history lawmakers have called a special session. Extraordinary sessions typically are called by governors.

The petition calls on lawmakers to consider “disciplinary actions” against Greitens.

If the House votes to impeach Greitens, the Senate then would appoint a panel of judges to conduct a trial on whether to remove him from office.

The legislative announcement about a special session came a day after a House investigatory committee released a report indicating Greitens had misused a donor list from a veterans’ charity he founded to raise money for his 2016 gubernatorial campaign.

It was the second stunning report from the House panel. Last month, it released a report with testimony from a woman alleging Greitens had restrained, slapped, shoved, threatened and belittled her during a series of sexual encounters in 2015 that at times left her crying and afraid.