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U.S. NEWS Monday 22 January 2018

Missouri governor: ‘no blackmail,’ ‘no violence’ in affair

By DAVID A. LIEB and SUM- approached the news or-
MER BALLENTINE ganization to say he had
Associated Press been interviewed by the
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) FBI last November, though
— In his first interview since he did not offer specifics
acknowledging an extra- about what he told agents.
marital affair, Missouri Gov. Greitens told the AP he
Eric Greitens said Saturday doesn’t know Karabell.
that there was “no black- Greitens’ spokeman Parker
mail” and “no threat of Briden said Karabell was a
violence” by him in what “serial liar” who had called
he described as a months- Briden multiple times “act-
long “consensual relation- ing crazy,” including claim-
ship” with his former hair- ing he would donate mil-
dresser. lions to the governor if he
Greitens told The Associ- could meet with him.
ated Press that he has no Amid the controversy over
plans to resign from office his affair, Greitens post-
as a result of the affair, poned a scheduled state-
despite calls to step aside Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens speaks during an interview in his wide promotional tour this
from several Republican office at the Missouri Capitol Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in Jefferson past week for what he
and Democratic state law- City, Mo. had billed in his State of
makers. Associated Press the State address as “the
“I’m staying. I’m staying,” Greitens added: “The mis- torney for the ex-husband boldest state tax reform in
he said twice for emphasis, take that I made was that said his client told him that America.” Instead, Gre-
adding about his relation- I was engaged in a con- Greitens had slapped the itens said he has called al-
ship with his wife, staff and sensual relationship with a woman, and St. Louis Cir- most every state lawmaker
supporters: “We’re strong.” woman who was not my cuit Attorney Kim Gardner and also posted a Face-
Greitens, 43, has remained wife. That is a mistake for said she was opening a book apology. Greitens
out of the public eye since which I am very sorry.” criminal investigation into said the “love and support
shortly after delivering his The AP has not identified the various claims about has been tremendous from
State of the State address the woman because she Greitens’ actions. people all over the state.”
on Jan. 10. Later that night, has not agreed to an inter- Asked Saturday if he had Before becoming gover-
St. Louis television station view. ever slapped the woman, nor, Greitens wrote a book
KMOV reported that Gre- The governor said he has Greitens responded: “Ab- entitled “Resilience,” which
itens had an extramarital had no other romantic or solutely not.” was a collection of let-
affair in 2015 as he was pre- sexual relationships with He said he hasn’t been ters to a former Navy SEAL
paring to run for governor. anyone else while he’s contacted by the circuit friend about overcoming
The report included an au- been married. attorney’s office and that adversity.
dio recording of a conver- “I made a mistake with one neither he nor his attorneys Greitens now finds himself
sation between a woman woman,” he said. have been contacted by in a similar position, and he
and her then-husband A former Navy SEAL officer, the FBI “on this or any other said he recently received
— recorded secretly by Rhodes Scholar, author matter.” a call from that friend en-
the husband — in which and founder of a veter- “As far as my conduct, couraging him to hang in
the woman said Greitens ans’ charity, Greitens took there is nothing to investi- there.
had bound her hands and his first step into politics by gate,” Greitens said. “I’m very confident that
blindfolded her, taken a opening an exploratory On Friday, CNN reported God has a way of bring-
photo of her partially nude committee for governor in that the FBI had recently ing good from difficulty.
and warned her to remain February 2015. opened an inquiry into Gre- God has a way of helping
silent during an encounter The extramarital relation- itens, citing two unnamed people in the midst of pain
in his St. Louis home. ship started around that U.S. officials as sources. to emerge with wisdom,”
Greitens did not directly say March and ended that CNN reported that 22-year- Greitens said.
“yes” or “no” when asked fall, Greitens said without old Eli Karabell — who said “God has a way of help-
Saturday if he had bound being more specific. He he had volunteered to ing you to move through
and blindfolded and taken officially announced he help with Greitens’ transi- suffering and actually be-
a photo of the woman. But was running for governor tion in December 2016 — come stronger.”q
he firmly denied that he in September 2015. He told
had attempted to coerce the AP he discussed and
the woman, or that he or resolved the affair with his
anyone associated with wife that same year.
him had paid her to be si- Greitens emerged the win-
lent. ner in a crowded and ex-
“This was a consensual re- pensive GOP primary be-
lationship,” Greitens said. fore defeating the state’s
“There was no blackmail, attorney general, Demo-
there was no violence, crat Chris Koster, in Novem-
there was no threat of vio- ber 2016 to give Republi-
lence, there was no threat cans control of the gover-
of blackmail, there was no nor’s mansion for the first
threat of using a photo- time in eight years.
graph for blackmail. All of After news of the affair
those things are false.” broke this month, an at-