Indicted Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Gets To Keep His $100,000 Bronfman Prize

Eric Greitens Image by Rubenstein Public Relations

By Nathan Guttman February 28, 2018

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 guttman@forward.com 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.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO