Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

U.S. NEWS A5
Friday 12 January 2018

Missouri governor admits having affair but denies blackmail

Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens and his wife Sheena speak to not name her. But her ex- plore a bid for governor general to investigate the
the media in St. Louis after she had been robbed at gunpoint the husband, who also was but before he officially an- blackmail allegations. At-
day before. Responding to a news report that overshadowed not named, provided the nounced his candidacy. torney General Josh Haw-
his annual State of the State address Wednesday night, Jan. audio recording to KMOV She said on the tape that ley’s office said it would de-
10, 2018, the Republican governor acknowledged he’s been in which the woman gave he invited her downstairs fer to local prosecutors, as
“unfaithful” in his marriage but denied allegations that he details about a sexual en- at his home because he required by state law.
blackmailed the woman to stay quiet. counter she says she had wanted to show her “how The letter signed by both
with Greitens in March 2015 to do a proper pull-up.” Democrats and Republi-
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) at his St. Louis home. The The woman did not imme- cans called the allegations
woman did not know her diately return a call left by “deeply disturbing” and
then-husband was record- The Associated Press at the said a swift investigation
ing their conversation. salon where she worked. was necessary to avoid
The alleged encounter A bipartisan group of state having the matter “over-
came after Greitens cre- senators signed a letter power” the 2018 legislative
ated a committee to ex- asking the state attorney session.q

By SUMMER BALLENTINE tion KMOV reported that
JIM SALTER he had a sexual relation-
Associated Press ship with his former hair-
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — dresser in 2015. The bomb-
When Eric Greitens sought shell report overshadowed
Missouri’s highest office, his annual address to the
his resume seemed hard Legislature and included
to top: former Navy SEAL, blackmail allegations from
former Rhodes scholar the woman’s ex-husband,
and founder of a veterans’ who secretly recorded a
charity. Most important, he conversation with his ex-
said during the campaign, wife discussing the affair.
was his role as “a proud The affair was “a deeply
husband and father.” personal mistake,” the
On Thursday, the square- statement said. “Eric took
jawed 43-year-old was responsibility, and we dealt
fighting allegations that with this together honestly
he photographed a hair- and privately.”
dresser naked while hav- Through his attorney, Gri-
ing an affair with her and etens also denied an alle-
threatened to publicize the gation from the ex-husband
image if she spoke about that Greitens slapped the
their relationship. The top woman, saying any accu-
prosecutor in St. Louis sation of violence is “com-
quickly launched an inves- pletely false.”
tigation, and a bipartisan During the 2016 campaign,
group of state lawmakers Greitens cast himself as an
asked the attorney general outsider going up against
to investigate as well. Gre- a career politician, the
itens acknowledged being state’s Democratic attor-
“unfaithful” in his marriage ney general. He has barely
before he was elected hidden his higher political
governor but denied tak- ambitions and reserved the
ing any naked photos and web address ericgreitens-
threatening the woman to forpresident.com years
stay quiet. The governor ago.
and his wife released a The woman involved did
statement late Wednesday not comment on the record
after St. Louis television sta- to the TV station, which did