Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, the presumptive Republican nominee for Senate, could be drawn into the investigation into Gov. Eric Greitens, who was indicted Thursday by a grand jury on charges relating to allegations of sexual impropriety.
Republican insiders are fretting that the Greitens affair could put undo political strain on Hawley’s bid to unseat Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is vulnerable in the midterm but is a tough campaigner. Hawley, in his position as state attorney general, could be asked to assist in the Greitens probe by local prosecuting attorneys, and plans to answer the call if it comes.
“A felony indictment by a grand jury is a serious matter. There is no place for party or partisanship. The criminal justice system must be allowed to work. I am confident the House’s investigation will be thorough and swift, and will proceed without regard to party,” Hawley said Friday, in a statement issued through his attorney general’s office.
Hawley exudes the image of a straight-laced conservative — the opposite of Greitens since it was revealed that he engaged an extramarital affair with a hairdresser before he was elected governor. Greitens was indicted on felony charges of invasion of privacy related to that affair.
Private polling conducted before the indictment showed Greitens’ support with voters holding, suggesting he might be able to weather the storm. He is vowing to fight the charges, even as Republicans in the Missouri legislature have begun to turn on him.
“As I have said before, I made a personal mistake before I was Governor. I did not commit a crime,” the governor said Thursday, in a statement emailed to political supporters and campaign contributors.
“With today’s disappointing and misguided political decision, my confidence in our prosecutorial system is shaken, but not broken. I know this will be righted soon. The people of Missouri deserve better than a reckless liberal prosecutor who uses her office to score political points. I look forward to the legal remedies to reverse this action. This will not for a moment deter me from doing the important work of the great people of Missouri,” Greitens added.
The Hawley campaign has been gaming out how to navigate the Greitens scandal, but there’s not much to do as long as the attorney general could be called on to participate in the investigation. Missouri is a Republican-leaning state, voting for President Trump by a 20-point margin.
But some Republican operatives worry the matter could end up negatively impacting Hawley’s campaign.
“McCaskill is already a tough beat and we’re not helped by Greitens’ situation. If this isn’t taken care of it runs a good chance of materially hurting our chances to take this Senate seat. The situation isn’t yet critical but it shows every sign of moving in that direction,” a Missouri GOP insider said.
