Greitens Faces Criminal Investigation In Alleged Blackmail Affair

Eric Greitens Image by Rubenstein Public Relations

By Nathan Guttman January 12, 2018

Missouri governor Eric Greietens may have hoped that news of his extramarital affair will end up with no more than public shaming, but he will now also have to face a criminal investigation. The investigation, announced Thursday, will look at allegations that Greitens blindfolded and bound his lover before taking her photo in order to use it for blackmailing her.

Kim Gardner, the St. Louis circuit attorney, announced her decision to launch an investigation, noting that “the serious allegations against Missouri Governor Eric Greitens are very troubling.” The state attorney general and the U.S. attorney for Missouri are not planning to hold separate criminal process on the matter.

But Democratic lawmakers in Missouri are considering opening their own investigation into claims of Greitens’ alleged attempted blackmail.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.