Ex-Mistress Testifies That Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Forced Himself On Her
Eric Greitens Image by Getty
By Aiden Pink April 11, 2018
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens hit his mistress and initiated sexual contact without her consent multiple times during their affair, the woman testified under oath to a Missouri House committee.
Greitens, the nation’s only Jewish governor, was already charged in February with felony invasion of privacy after being accused of taking a nude photo of the woman without her consent and blackmailing her to keep quiet about their affair.
The 24-page report, commissioned by a unanimous vote in the state House, details her testimony about their relationship. Greitens, who is married, had earlier admitted to the affair but denied he had photographed or threatened her, and refused to cooperate with the probe.
The woman, who is Greitens’ former hairdresser, also said that during his first haircut appointment after a long absence in March 2015, before they commenced their affair, he moved his hand up her leg and then her crotch without her permission.
She says that when they went to his house, Greitens grabbed her in a “bear hug” on the floor and coerced her into oral sex while she cried “uncontrollably.” Afterwards, she continued, Greitens led her to his basement, where he blindfolded her and taped her hands to pull-up rings, and ripped her shirt, pulled her pants down and took a photo without her consent. Greitens allegedly said that if she spoke of the encounter, he would call her a “little whore.” She testified that she felt that she had to perform oral sex in order to escape the basement.
She also claimed that Greitens hit her at least three times. Once, she said, Greitens slapped her when she told him that she was still sleeping with her husband, with enough force that it “swung my face.”
The bipartisan group of lawmakers said in their report that they found her testimony credible.
In a press appearance before the latest allegations were released Wednesday, Greitens, a Republican, called the House report a “political witch hunt” five times in eight minutes and referred to “lies and falsehoods,” but did not specify what about the report was false, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Greitens has said that he will not resign. “I will continue to serve the people of Missouri as their governor and to work for you every day,” he said.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
