(CNN) Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens confronted bombshell allegations of sexual misconduct and blackmail Wednesday night -- salacious charges that forced a rising Republican star to acknowledge that he had had an extramarital affair but also vehemently deny that he had resorted to blackmail.
In the recording aired by KMOV, the woman says she went to Greitens' house, where a sexual encounter took place.
"And he used some sort of tape, I don't what it was, and taped my hands to these rings and then put a blindfold on me," she said in the recording, recalling that Greitens told her that "'you're never going to mention my name,' otherwise there will be pictures of me (the woman) everywhere."
In the recorded conversation, the woman said Greitens apologized to her afterwards and told her he had deleted the picture, KMOV reported.
"He took a picture of my wife naked as blackmail. There is no worse person," the ex-husband told the station.
Joint Statement from Sheena and I pic.twitter.com/t3DT6V0Gba — Eric Greitens (@EricGreitens) January 11, 2018
In a series of statements Wednesday night and Thursday morning, Greitens pushed back on key allegations from the woman's ex-husband. Greitens' lawyer, James Bennett, said in a statement, "There was no blackmail and that claim is false."
"This personal matter has been addressed by the Governor and Mrs. Greitens privately years ago when it happened," Bennett said. "The outrageous claims of improper conduct regarding these almost three-year-ago events are false."
Answering multiple follow-up questions from CNN, Bennett clarified that the governor explicitly denies taking a photo of the woman and suggesting that he could make the photo public. Bennett also said there was no settlement between the governor and the woman, and that there was never a non-disclosure agreement.
Asked whether the governor has been previously accused of misconduct by anyone else other than this woman in question, Bennett responded, "No."
The governor released a joint statement with his wife, Sheena, Wednesday night, saying that, years before he was elected governor, "there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage."
"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," according to the couple's statement.
The news of the extramarital affair and allegations of blackmail came on the same night that Greitens delivered the State of the State speech.
State legislative leaders from both parties reacted to the KMOV's report with dismay.
"Like many Missourians, we find these serious allegations shocking and concerning. As this situation is evolving, we expect the governor to be honest and forthright," said Republican state Sens. Ron Richard, Mike Kehoe and Bob Onder in a joint statement.
Their Democratic leadership counterparts called for an investigation.
"In light of the very serious allegations made against the governor, there are many questions still left unanswered. But let's be clear -- violence and threats against women are never acceptable," said state Sens. Gina Walsh and Kiki Curls in a joint statement. "Allegations of extortion, coercion or threats of violence must be investigated by the proper authorities. People accused of these egregious acts do not get to waive off the scrutiny of law enforcement simply because they are in a position of power; and victims of these crimes deserve our full support."
Greitens campaigned in 2016 as a political outsider. The former Navy Seal and his wife married in 2011 and have two children.
"We have a loving marriage and an awesome family; anything beyond that is between us and God," Sheena Greitens said in an additional statement. "I want the media and those who wish to peddle gossip to stay away from me and my children."
As governor, Greitens has alienated some state lawmakers in his own party with sometimes scathing criticism of the legislature. But that approach has also helped him to cultivate a reputation among the national party as a promising prospect. He traveled to Iowa last year, stoking speculation about his national political ambitions
This story has been updated.
Washington (CNN) On Wednesday night, CNN affiliate KMOV ran a report detailing an extramarital affair involving Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens released a statement acknowledging the affair but denying some of the more salacious allegations made by the woman's ex-husband. For more on the story -- and whether Greitens might be in danger of losing the office he was elected to in 2016 -- I reached out to Jason Rosenbaum of St. Louis Public Radio. Our conversation, conducted via email and lightly edited for flow, is below.
Cillizza: Catch us up in where the allegations stand with Governor Greitens. And, what has he admitted to/denied?
Rosenbaum: Soon after Greitens made his State of the State address on Wednesday, a St. Louis television station aired a report detailing how the GOP governor had an extramarital affair before he officially announced his statewide office bid in 2015. The : Soon after Greitens made his State of the State address on Wednesday, a St. Louis television station aired a report detailing how the GOP governor had an extramarital affair before he officially announced his statewide office bid in 2015. The report featured an interview with the woman's ex-husband, who was granted anonymity. It also featured a recording of the woman where she said Greitens took a compromising photo to prevent her from revealing the affair. In a statement, Greitens admitted to having an affair. But his attorney is forcefully denying the allegations that Greitens blackmailed the woman, which is what a lot of Missouri political figures are focusing on at this point in time. ["The governor denies that the picture was taken and denies stating the words attributed to him by her on the recording," said Greitens attorney James Bennett Thursday afternoon. "Any allegation of violence is completely false. It never happened."]
Cillizza: Did this come totally out of nowhere? He just ran a campaign in 2016. Was there any talk about this sort of stuff then?
Rosenbaum: There had been rumors about this particular allegation for weeks. Greitens made a lot of Republican and Democratic enemies since he launched his gubernatorial bid. One of his main talking points was that Jefferson City politicians were "corrupt" and he was going to be the guy to clean things up. And since taking office, he's made some public policy moves that have deeply upset the state's elected leaders -- such as : There had been rumors about this particular allegation for weeks. Greitens made a lot of Republican and Democratic enemies since he launched his gubernatorial bid. One of his main talking points was that Jefferson City politicians were "corrupt" and he was going to be the guy to clean things up. And since taking office, he's made some public policy moves that have deeply upset the state's elected leaders -- such as shutting down a popular tax incentive to cultivate low-income housing . His campaign staffers set up a politically-active nonprofit that doesn't disclose its donors that attacked Republican senators, which is unprecedented. Needless to say, this is probably why not many people are sticking up for him at this early juncture.
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Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Wednesday night admitted that he was unfaithful to his wife Sheena in 2015.
The 43-year-old Republican lawmaker's admission was inspired by local TV station KMOV's report Wednesday night, in which the ex-husband of the alleged mistress was interviewed and provided to the station secretly-taped recordings of his ex-wife detailing when and where she met Greitens. The identity of the ex-husband and woman were not revealed by the station. The station reports the woman declined comment.
The admission also came hours after Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, delivered his annual State of the State address in Jefferson City, Missouri.
AP Photo/Jeff Curry
"A few years ago, before Eric was elected Governor, there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage," the Greitens said in a joint statement. "This was a deeply personal mistake. Eric took responsibility, and we dealt with this together honestly and privately."
The statement continued, "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."
The Greitens married in 2011 in Spokane, Washington, according to their wedding announcement in The New York Times. It is the governor's second marriage. They have two sons, Joshua and Jacob.
AP Photo/Orlin Wagner
As for the TV report, Grietens' attorney, James F. Bennett, said in a statement Wednesday night, "The governor has now seen the TV report that ran tonight. The station declined to provide the tape or transcript in advance of running their story, which contained multiple false allegations. The claim that this nearly three-year old story has generated or should generate law enforcement interest is completely false. There was no blackmail and that claim is false. This personal matter has been addressed by the Governor and Mrs. Greitens privately years ago when it happened. The outrageous claims of improper conduct regarding these almost three-year-ago events are false."
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Sheena Greitens, 35, also issued her own statement Wednesday night, saying "We have a loving marriage and an awesome family; anything beyond that is between us and God. I want the media and those who wish to peddle gossip to stay away from me and my children."
