JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Latest on Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens acknowledging he cheated on his wife but denying blackmail allegations (all times local):
4 p.m.
The attorney for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is denying an allegation that Greitens slapped a woman with whom he had an affair.
The Republican governor acknowledged the months-long extramarital affair late Wednesday after KMOV-TV reported he had a sexual relationship with his hairdresser in 2015. Greitens denied claims that he took nude photos of her and threatened to release them publicly if she disclosed the relationship.
Al Watkins, the attorney for the woman’s ex-husband, says his client told him that Greitens slapped his ex-wife during the affair. According to Watkins, the ex-husband says Greitens became upset when the woman said she had sex with the ex-husband during a period when they were trying to reconcile.
Greitens’ attorney, Jim Bennett, wrote in an email Thursday that any allegation of violence is “completely false.” He says Greitens and the woman had a consensual relationship.
10:35 a.m.
Two Democratic Missouri Senate leaders say allegations of extortion or threats of violence arising after Gov. Eric Greitens’ acknowledged he cheated on his wife must be investigated.
Sen. Gina Walsh of Bellefontaine Neighbors and Sen. Kiki Curls of Kansas City said in a statement Thursday that questions remain about Greitens’ affair.
The governor has denied accusations made by the woman’s ex-husband that Greitens photographed her nude and threatened to publicize the images if she spoke about their affair.
Walsh and Curls said violence against women is unacceptable and that allegations of extortion, coercion or threats must be investigated.
“People accused of these egregious acts do not get to waive off the scrutiny of law enforcement simply because they are in a position of power; and victims of these crimes deserve our full support.”
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10:20 a.m.
Missouri Senate GOP leaders say allegations against Republican Gov. Eric Greitens are “shocking and concerning.”
Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, Majority Leader Mike Kehoe and Assistant Majority Leader Bob Onder released a joint statement Thursday urging Greitens to be “honest and forthright.”
Greitens acknowledged late Wednesday that he has been “unfaithful” in his marriage, following a news report uncovering an affair with his former hairdresser.
In a separate statement, Greitens’ attorney, Jim Bennett, denied allegations made by the woman’s ex-husband that the governor threatened to expose an uncompromising photograph of her if she revealed their relationship.
Senate Democratic leaders Gina Walsh and Kiki Curls said “violence and threats against women are never acceptable” and that allegations of extortion, coercion or threats of violence must be investigated.
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10 a.m.
A hairdresser who, according to her ex-husband, was having an affair with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens sent the Republican an email asking him to stop booking appointments at the salon where she worked.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the email was sent Oct. 20, 2015, three weeks after Greitens filed papers formally starting his 2016 gubernatorial campaign. It was sent to the same account that Greitens listed on a website he used in the campaign.
The newspaper doesn’t say how it obtained the email.
She asked Greitens, whom she called by his first name, to “please consider all who are involved and the circumstances around us.” She said returning to the salon “isn’t fair to me, nor anyone close to us” and that she needed to “move forward.”
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Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens acknowledges he was “unfaithful” in his marriage but denies allegations that he blackmailed the woman he had an extramarital affair with to stay quiet.
The Republican governor and his wife released a statement Wednesday night. It came after St. Louis television station KMOV reported that Greitens had a sexual relationship with his former hairdresser in 2015. The station reported that the woman’s ex-husband alleged Greitens photographed her nude and threatened to publicize the images if she spoke about the affair.
The woman allegedly involved did not comment on the record to the station, which released its report late Wednesday after Greitens gave his State of the State speech. But her ex-husband provided a recording of her detailing a sexual encounter with Greitens and saying Greitens told her the photos would be released if she exposed the affair. She did not know she was being recorded.
Greitens’ statement with his wife, Sheena, didn’t address the affair specifically or the allegations, but in a separate statement Greitens’ attorney, Jim Bennett, said, “There was no blackmail and that claim is false.”