Woman testifies Missouri governor was violent during unwanted sexual encounters

A Missouri state House committee released a report on Wednesday detailing an extramarital affair Gov. Eric Greitens (R) had with his hairdresser, who testified under oath that he groped her and was violent during sexual encounters, slapping and calling her names.

The panel, which includes five Republicans and two Democrats, said it finds the woman, whose name was not released, to be an "overall credible witness." The woman has accused Greitens of taking a photo of her without consent while she was semi-nude and blindfolded, then threatening to release it if she ever told anyone about their encounter. She also said she felt coerced into performing oral sex on Greitens, and that he slapped her when she told him she had been intimate with her estranged husband. The alleged incidents took place before he was elected in 2016.

In February, a grand jury indicted Greitens on one count of invasion of privacy for allegedly taking and transmitting the picture of the woman, and he goes to trial on May 14. The committee began its investigation on March 1, and the report could be used to set off impeachment proceedings. Greitens turned down an opportunity to testify or provide documents to the panel, and on Wednesday called it a "political witch hunt." He also accused the woman of lying, and said the affair was "a private mistake." Several Democrats have called on him to resign.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up