Facing felony charges and rumblings of impeachment from his own party over accusations of serious sexual misconduct, Missouri governor Eric Greitens might currently be America’s most vulnerable politician. His position grew more tenuous yet Tuesday, when Missouri attorney general Josh Hawley announced his office had reason to believe Greitens had committed yet more criminal acts—this time related to political fundraising.
Hawley said in a press conference that his office had uncovered evidence that Greitens had illegally obtained and made political use of a donor list belonging to a St. Louis-based charity, The Mission Continues, that Greitens founded in 2007. By acquiring the list surreptitiously, Hawley said, Greitens may have committed the crime of “computer tampering,” a likely felony due to the value of the list.
Hawley said he had obtained court permission to share their evidence with the attorney of jurisdiction, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.
“The deadline for the statute of limitations is fast approaching,” Hawley said. “A charging decision must be made very soon.”
Greitens, who like Hawley is a Republican, issued a statement denying wrongdoing while sneering at his own attorney general’s legal capabilities.
“Fortunately for Josh, he’s better at press conferences than the law,” Greitens said in the statement. “Anyone who has set foot in a Missouri courtroom knows these allegations are ridiculous. Josh has turned the ‘evidence’ he claims to have over to St. Louis Circuit attorney Kim Gardner—a liberal prosecutor funded by George Soros who allegedly suborned perjury, falsified documents, and withheld evidence.”
Both Hawley’s office and his campaign declined to respond to Greitens’ attack, and the Missouri Republican Party—which has attacked Gardner’s connection to Soros in the past as well—declined to answer whether the governor’s comments were good for the party or the state. It’s not hard to see why.
Greitens’ jab at Hawley was unsurprising, as the governor has apparently decided that when it comes to facing credible accusations of criminality, the best defense is a good offense. But it was still noteworthy, especially considering that Hawley is a front-running candidate to challenge Democrat Claire McCaskill for her Senate seat this year. Greitens has taken a bath at the polls in recent weeks, but a sizable number of Missouri Republicans still believe his tale that the accusations against him are a partisan witch hunt. It’s hard to see how convincing those voters Hawley’s in on the con is supposed to help Greitens’ party win in November. Then again, if helping the party was Greitens’ main objective, he likely would have stepped down months ago.
