Missouri governor Eric Greitens has announced that he will resign effective Friday afternoon, citing the “strain” on his family caused by a series of indictments related to his abuse of a former mistress and campaign-finance violations.
“I came to Missouri to fight for the people….I thank all the people who worked beside me….The last few months have been incredibly difficult,” Greitens said Tuesday. “This ordeal has been designed to cause an incredible amount of strain on my family…designed to cause maximum damage.”
Greitens was first indicted in February on a felony-invasion-of-privacy charge after the husband of his former mistress released a damning audio recording in which the unidentified woman can be heard saying that Greitens bound her hands, removed her clothes, and photographed her before threatening to release the photo if she revealed their relationship. The case was halted when the state abruptly withdrew its charge its earlier this month.
After the threat of blackmail, the woman claims Greitens coerced her into performing oral sex. She complied because she “felt that she had no other choice if she were going to get out of the basement,” according to a recently released Missouri House committee report that deemed the woman an “overall credible witness.”
Greitens admitted the affair in February in a joint statement with his wife, but has vigorously denied the blackmail allegation.
Following the allegations of sexual misconduct, Greitens was indicted in April for allegedly using a donor list compiled by his veteran’s charity The Mission Continues to solicit donations for his 2015 gubernatorial run without the group’s permission. Those allegations are currently under investigation by the Missouri state legislature, and last Friday, he was issued a subpoena compelling him to testify by the Missouri House committee in charge of that investigation.
State lawmakers from both sides of the aisle had demanded his resignation and an impeachment vote had been expected to occur in early June.