Saturday, April 24, 2021

GET ME REWRITE: Sad state of Missouri GOP on display with adulterer and disgraced former governor Eric Greitens running for U.S. Senate seat


(airbrushed by Central Casting)


Hoping Missouri voters have very short memories
Greitens was a political outsider when he ran for governor in 2016, but his resume was impressive. In addition to his role in the elite military outfit, he was a best-selling author, a Rhodes scholar and had started a successful charity for veterans. Greitens defeated establishment Republicans in the primary before winning in November. By the end of his first year in office, Greitens was getting buzz as a potential future presidential contender. 
It all began to fall apart in January 2018 when a St. Louis TV station aired a report about an extramarital affair with his hairdresser in 2015, before he was elected. A month later, a grand jury indicted Greitens for invasion of privacy, accusing him of taking a compromising photo of the woman and threatening to use it as blackmail if she ever spoke of the encounter. 
Greitens admitted to the affair (he and his wife, Sheena, divorced last year) but denied criminal wrongdoing and accused Gardner, a Democrat, of a politically motivated prosecution.
Another scandal followed in April when Gardner charged Greitens with another felony, accusing him of illegally using the donor list for his charity, The Mission Continues, to raise money for his 2016 campaign. 
Meanwhile, the Republican-led Missouri Legislature began considering whether to pursue impeachment proceedings. Those discussions and the criminal charges came to an end when Greitens resigned in June 2018.  [emphasis added]

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5/1/2018 update, "Sex life aside, there are clearly similarities between Eric Greitens and Kevin Nicholson", starts here. 


Radio ad comparing US Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson to Missouri governor caught in sex scandal pulled.  (Madison.com, 4/30/2018)
The Greitens scandal broke months ago.  Americas PAC leader Tom Donelson said Monday he sent a replacement ad before the original was supposed to air last week, but some stations broadcast the one favorably comparing Nicholson and the embattled Greitens. The original ad was made months ago and should not have been sent to the stations, Donelson said.

4/18/2018 update, "Pretty wrapping, empty box", starts here.


Missouri’s Governor Was Already in Trouble. A New Felony Claim Adds to That.  (The New York Times, 4/17/2018)
The adulterous governor remains defiant and unrepentant.  Fortunately for [Attorney General] Josh [Hawley], he’s better at press conferences than the law,” the governor said in a statement. “Anyone who has set foot in a Missouri courtroom knows these allegations are ridiculous.” 


Original 3/1/2018 post, "Another clueless central-casting politician who stumbles", starts here.

Photo credits:  Twitter (Greitens),  Nicholson for Senate
Sykes quote

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens indicted for felony invasion of privacy.  (St. Louis Post-Dispatch,  2/23/2018)
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who was swept into office in 2016 with a vow to clean up a corrupt state government, was indicted and booked Thursday on a felony invasion of privacy charge for allegedly taking and transmitting a non-consensual photo of his partly nude lover shortly before that campaign started. 
It stems from a scandal that broke last month, in which Greitens was accused of threatening his lover with the photo — an allegation that isn't mentioned in the indictment. Greitens has admitted having an extramarital affair, but has denied the rest.

Not a secret anymore.  (A #1 song for Doris, ranked 9th for the year 1954 by Billboard.)



Curiously, Eric doesn't list his latest gig -- governor, not adulterer --  at his LinkedIn account.

Related posts:
Another central-casting GOP candidate finds that good looks do not insure a smooth path to election.  (4/14/2018)
Dear Kevin Nicholson, Running for U.S. Senate as a Trump fanboy is not a savvy strategy in the collar counties.  (4/11/2018)
Another clueless central-casting politician who stumbles.  (3/1/2018)

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