Indicted Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Gets To Keep His $100,000 Bronfman Prize
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who was indicted last week on felony invasion of privacy charges stemming from an alleged blackmail plot, will remain a recipient of a lucrative prize for Jewish humanitarians sponsored by one of the Jewish community’s most notable philanthropists.
Before entering politics, Greitens established a nonprofit called The Mission Continues, which helps veterans readjust to life after deployment. This earned him the 2012 Charles Bronfman Prize, which comes with a $100,000 award.
“I think about tikkun olam, about the call to repair the world, and about how we can use our limited time to be of service,” Greitens wrote in his acceptance statement.
Greitens was elected governor in 2016 and emerged as a Republican rising star. But he crashed to earth this year after he was accused of having an affair with another woman, taking photos of her without her consent while she was nude, and threatening to expose them if she spoke of their relationship.
Both Republicans and Democrats have called on Greitens to resign. But his troubles will not change his status as recipient of the lucrative award.
“We are saddened and disappointed by the recent allegations brought against Eric Greitens. He was the overwhelming choice for the 2012 Prize when his life journey had shown him to be an outstanding leader and humanitarian,” said Jill Collier Indyk, executive director of The Charles Bronfman Prize, in a statement to the Forward. “These allegations do not in any way diminish the admiration and profound respect the Prize has for the ongoing work of The Mission Continues, the organization Greitens founded, and the values it shares with the Prize.”
Greitens is the nation’s only Jewish governor.
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!