Missouri Governor Accused Of Blackmailing Mistress, Admits Affair

ST. LOUIS, MO — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has admitted to having an extramarital affair after television station KMOV News 4 obtained an audio recording of a woman describing a sexual encounter with the governor and saying that he tried to blackmail her. The report alleges Greitens blindfolded the woman and bound her with tape, then took a partially nude photo and threatened to release it unless she kept the relationship quiet.

The woman allowed Greitens to put her into a compromising position, but the encounter quickly turned non-consensual. "He stepped back, I saw a flash through the blindfold, and he said, 'You're never going to mention my name,' otherwise there's pictures of me everywhere," the woman says in the recording. As she describes what happened, she sounds as if she's crying.

At the time, Greitens was already exploring a run for state office, and he allegedly told the woman at least one other time that he couldn't be seen with her. The woman declined to speak with the media, but her ex-husband provided News 4 with additional information. He is the one who surreptitiously recorded her confessing intimate details of her affair with the governor. Greitens, he said, invited his wife over to his house soon after meeting her at a salon where she had cut his hair. The man divorced his wife in 2016 and blames the governor for ruining his marriage.

Greitens declared his candidacy for governor as a Republican in September 2015 and won election in November 2016. The Post-Dispatch obtained an email the woman sent in October 2015 to a Gmail account associated with Greitens gubernatorial campaign. In it, she tried — unsuccessfully, her ex-husband said — to end the affair. “Eric, I’m asking you to please consider all who are involved and the circumstances around us," she wrote. "I need you to not book at the salon anymore. This isn’t fair to me, nor anyone close to us. Please respect me and my wishes. I need to move forward in my life as I know you are doing as well. Take care.”

The governor and his wife admitted the affair Wednesday night. "A few years ago, before Eric was elected Governor, there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage," Greitens and his wife, Sheena, told News 4 in a joint statement. "This was a deeply personal mistake. Eric took responsibility, and we dealt with this together honestly and privately. While we never would have wished for this pain in our marriage, or the pain that this has caused others, with God’s mercy Sheena has forgiven and we have emerged stronger. We understand that there will be some people who cannot forgive – but for those who can find it in your heart, Eric asks for your forgiveness, and we are grateful for your love, your compassion, and your prayers."

But the statement did not ask forgiveness for, or even mention, the more serious allegations of blackmail. The governor's lawyer later issued a statement denying it.

Democratic State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed called on Greitens to resign, writing on Twitter that he should "give Missouri the opportunity to restore some dignity to the governor's office."

Democratic State Rep. Gina Mitten said the allegations undermined the governor's credibility.

"Stick a fork in him," wrote Republican State Sen. Robb Schaff via Twitter.

Photo: Gov. Eric Greitens and his wife, Sheena, in 2011. (Larry Busacca/Entertainment/Getty Images)