Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and his allies continue to intimidate and shame Greitens’ former mistress, said St. Louis attorney Al Watkins who represents the mistress’ ex-husband.
“We live in time of introspection,” Watkins said at a press conference he held outside the Jefferson City Police Department on March 9. “And we have learned [through] the #MeToo movement, the importance of everybody recognizing that there are victims, women in particular, who are subjected to persons in positions of power and authority who exploit that power.”
On February 22, Greitens was indicted on felony charges of invasion of privacy, which stemmed from an allegation that he non-consensually took a partially nude photograph of a woman he was having an extramarital affair with in 2015. Republican lawmakers announced last month that they had formed a committee to investigate the charges against the governor. On March 9, the committee interviewed Watkins’ client, the woman’s ex-husband, at the police department in Jefferson City.
As far as the investigation, Watkins briefly commented on the recordings that his client made of his ex-wife talking about her encounters with Greitens. The recordings were made without her knowledge and shared anonymously with local CBS affiliate KMOV. On the tape, the woman said Greitens photographed her blindfolded and with her hands bound and said he would publicize the photo if she ever spoke about their relationship.
Watkins said the recordings were made while they were going through marriage counseling, and the recordings were an effort to help their marriage. The recordings have been handed over for investigation, he said.
A “political operative” sought the recordings in October of 2016, before Greitens was elected, but didn’t use them after hearing that Watkins’ client wanted to protect his ex-wife, Watkins said.
Watkins said he doesn’t believe the photos have been produced for investigation, but they exist and are being withheld so the governor can intimidate his victim and protect himself.
“Our governor and his shills or surrogates,” Watkins said, “have been tone deaf to the reality that victimizing the victim after the victim has already been victimized is nothing short of another crime.”
By “shills or surrogates,” Watkins clarified that he means legal counsel, friends, supporters or other representatives. The intimidation that these people employ on Greitens behalf, Watkins said, is “slut-shaming.”
Watkins further stated that “although this [victimizing] may not be a felony,” he still finds the behavior inhumane.
House Republicans, including Speaker of the House Todd Richardson, announced in a statement last month that they would be forming a committee to “answer the question as to whether or not the governor can lead our state while a felony case moves forward.”
The statement did not specifically mention impeachment, which some, including Democratic state Senator Jamilah Nasheed, have called for.
Greitens’ lawyer Edward L. Dowd said in a statement to the media that he and his client welcome the chance to review the matter with a bipartisan House committee.
“The charges are unfounded and baseless. The governor is absolutely innocent. Not only is he presumed innocent – he is innocent,” Dowd said.
Watkins also addressed the governor’s racially charged characterizations of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. Watkins said that Greitens had compared the educational “Ivy League” pedigree of his defense team to the “night school” pedigree of the Gardner, the first African-American circuit attorney in St. Louis. This comment is part of the same pattern of berating and maligning that the governor is using to intimidate, Watkins said.
Watkins also applauded the media’s willingness to avoid publishing the name of the victim, which he believes has been beneficial and respectful to the victim’s private life.
“They’re doing so not because they’re told that,” Watkins said. “They’re doing so because of high-professional standards and because of respect for a victim.”
Jessica Karins contributed to this report.
