Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL who was once considered a rising Republican politician, has been under siege since January, when accusations emerged that he threatened to blackmail his former hairstylist – with whom he was having an extramarital affair – by distributing a nude photo he secretly took of her.
On Thursday, he was indicted by a St. Louis grand jury on a felony invasion of privacy charge.
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Greitens had allegedly threatened the woman by saying he would distribute the photo of her if she exposed the relationship. The accusations stem from a covert recording by the woman's ex-husband published by KMOV in St. Louis, in which the woman is heard describing how Greitens invited her to his home in 2015 and, with her consent, taped her hands to exercise rings and blindfolded her. He then allegedly took a photo of her naked.
"As I have said before, I made a personal mistake before I was governor," Greitens said in a statement Thursday. "I did not commit a crime."
He called the indictment a "disappointing and misguided political decision" and added: "I look forward to the legal remedies to reverse this action."
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner launched an investigation in January, after Greitens admitted he had been unfaithful to his wife before he was elected governor in 2016. His lawyer has denied the blackmail accusations.
Young and telegenic, a former SEAL and Rhodes Scholar who had just ascended to a statewide position, Greitens was viewed by Republicans as a politician to watch in the coming years.
His indictment is a political jolt to a state that was already shaping up as a battleground in the 2018 midterm elections. It is one of 10 states Senate Democrats are defending that President Donald Trump won in 2016. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is running for reelection and Republicans are hoping that the state's conservative tilt will help them defeat her. But some doubts have emerged in GOP circles about Attorney General Josh Hawley, a prized Republican Senate recruit. Party strategists have said they worry about his fundraising ability.
Democrats seized on the indictment, with the Democratic Governors Association calling on Greitens to step down immediately.
"The charges against Eric Greitens are deeply disturbing and prove he is unfit to hold public office," said DGA Executive Director Elisabeth Pearson. "The people of Missouri deserve a governor who can focus full-time on the issues affecting the state."
Stephen Webber, head of the Missouri Democratic Party, tweeted: "Everything about @EricGreitens – his dark money, his lies, his scandals, his crimes – has been a stain on Missouri. Through it all, the Republican Establishment has stood by him. Change can't come soon enough. #MOGov #MOLeg"
In outlining the charge, Gardner said in a news release that it is a felony if a person transmits an image "contained in the photograph or film in a manner that allows access to that image via a computer."
"It is essential for residents of the City of St. Louis and our state to have confidence in their leaders," Gardner said. "They must know that the Office of the Circuit Attorney will hold public officials accountable in the same manner as any other resident of our city. Both parties and the people of St. Louis deserve a thorough investigation of these allegations."
Greitens, who has previously said he will not resign, appeared to dig in, saying in his statement: "This will not for a moment deter me from doing the important work of the great people of Missouri."