Greitens Resigns as Governor

By the end of this week, Eric Greitens will no longer be governor of Missouri. In a news conference this afternoon in Jefferson City, Greitens resigned from the office after just a year and a half on the job.  Greitens says he will resign effective Friday, June 1, at 5 p.m.  Lt. Gov. Michael Parson will take over in his stead. 

His resignation, however, isn’t the last chapter in a series of criminal charges that include a sex scandal and allegations that he had misused a charitable-donor list. 

During the statement he read today, Greitens maintained his innocence, saying he had done nothing wrong.  He did not accept any questions from reporters, but has previously characterized allegations against him as political smears. “This ordeal has been designed to cause an incredible amount of strain on my family and friends. Millions of dollars of mounting legal bills, endless personal attacks designed to cause maximum damage to family and friends,” Greitens said. 

The sex-assault claims became public on Jan. 10, just an hour after Greitens delivered his State of the State message. They eventually prompted criminal charges of invasion of privacy for taking a photo of a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair in 2015, before he ran for office, and distributing it without her consent. Originally filed in circuit court in St. Louis, those charges were dismissed earlier this month over a procedural matter in that office. Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker was named special prosecutor to investigate, and the case could yet lead to refiling of charges in a different venue.

As he has been attempting to fend off that matter with vigorous denials, Greitens has steadily seen an erosion of support in Jefferson City. Growing numbers of Republicans began to join Democrats to call for his resignation, and the Missouri General Assembly convened a special session to consider impeachment proceedings.

On May 4, additional criminal charges were filed in St. Louis, accusing Greitens of improperly using a list of donors from the non-profit he had founded, The Mission Continues, to bolster his 2016 campaign for the governor’s office.

In a response to Greitens’ resignation, House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) said, “The brief and deeply troubled term of Eric Greitens is a case study for why Missouri’s highest elected office is no place for beginners.  Gov. Mike Parson possesses the integrity his predecessor lacked, and House Democrats will offer whatever assistance we can as he begins the difficult task of restoring credibility to state government.”

05/29/2018