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Greitens’ political future faces test in legislative report

 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The political future of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens faces a big test when a special legislative committee issues its investigative report related to an extramarital affair the Republican had.

Greitens also faces a pending criminal trial on a felony indictment in St. Louis for allegedly taking a compromising photo of the woman without her permission and an investigation by the state’s attorney general into the activities of a veterans charity he founded.

The investigations have created governing challenges and uncertainty for the former Navy SEAL officer once considered presidential material.

A Greitens spokesman says the administration is “operating as normal.” But Republican political consultant John Hancock says the scandal has had a debilitating effect on Greitens.

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A judge has issued a partial gag order for attorneys and witnesses in the criminal case against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison issued the order Tuesday in response to a request from Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. Gardner expressed concern that Greitens’ attorneys were trying the case in the media.

The Republican governor is charged with invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a compromising photo without the consent of a woman he was having an affair with in 2015, before he was elected.

Burlison’s order does not prohibit attorneys from speaking about public information in the case, but prohibits comments related to deposition material, opinions about what witnesses might testify to and other speculative issues. The ruling also will require the judge to sign off on certain court filings before they’re made public.

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ST. LOUIS (AP) – The attorney for a woman who had an affair with Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens is accusing his attorneys of a “smear campaign.”

Attorney Scott Simpson said in a phone interview Tuesday that the Greitens team wants to discredit the woman before she testifies at his criminal trial next month.

Greitens is charged with invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a compromising photo without the woman’s consent in 2015, before he was elected.

Defense attorneys said in a court filing Sunday that the woman, in a deposition, wasn’t sure whether she saw Greitens holding a phone during the encounter. But Simpson says Greitens told her he had a photo, and he threatened to distribute it if she spoke of the affair.

Simpson wants the full transcript of the woman’s deposition released.

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