Blackmail case forces Mo. gov out

EMBATTLED Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens finally announced his resignation Tuesday after spending months refusing bipartisan calls to step down over shocking allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman and then blackmailed her into silence. The Republican governor (photo), who has maintained his innocence in the face of impeachment threats, insisted during a press conference at the Capitol in Jefferson City that his accuser’s claims are bogus.

“It’s clear for the forces that oppose us, there’s no end in sight. I cannot allow those forces to continue to cause pain and difficulty to the people that I love,” Greitens said. “So for the moment, let us walk off the battlefield with our heads held high.”

Greitens’ decision came after the Missouri Legislature began meeting in special session less than two weeks ago to consider his impeachment. He’ll resign Friday.

Republicans and Democrats had called on Greitens, 44, to step down since he was accused in a February felony indictment of taking an unauthorized and compromising photo of a St. Louis woman during an extramarital affair in 2015.

The charge was dropped earlier this month, but Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker was appointed special prosecutor to consider whether to refile it. That investigation is ongoing, Baker said Tuesday.