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."
(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 that he took a photo of her while she was blindfolded and her hands were taped together.
"You're never going to mention my name, otherwise there will be pictures of me (the woman) everywhere," she recalled Greitens telling her, according to the recording.
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." Greitens was elected to office in 2016.
"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."
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens delivers the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens speaks to supporters during a rally Tuesday, May 23, 2017, outside the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- Governor Eric Greitens on Wednesday night confirmed to News 4 he had an extramarital affair, an admission a months-long News 4 investigation prompted.
In a recording obtained by News 4, a woman says she had a sexual encounter with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and that he tried to blackmail her to keep the encounter quiet.
The details were provided to News 4 by the woman’s ex-husband, claiming the sexual relationship happened between his now ex-wife and Greitens in March 2015. News 4 is not naming the woman and she has not made an on-the-record comment about the story.
According to the ex-husband, the recording was made just days after Greitens’ and the woman’s first sexual encounter. And also that Greitens took a photograph during the encounter to use as “blackmail” according to the ex-husband.
During his campaign and while serving in his first year in office as Missouri’s Governor, Eric Greitens has billed himself a family man. During his campaign announcement, he stated: “I'm Eric Greitens, I'm a Navy SEAL, native Missourian and most importantly, a proud husband and father."
A contrast to the acts the woman accuses Greitens of committing on tape saying his actions were “horrible and disgusting.”
The ex-husband provided details to News 4 of what he claims was a sexual encounter between his now-ex-wife and Greitens back in March of 2015. News 4 has spoken to the woman's attorney who has stated: “No Comment.”
His now ex-wife wife didn't know he was recording their conversation as she confessed intimate details to him.
Recorded Conversation:
Ex-Husband: “Tell me the truth. The truth. Only the truth.
Woman: So, on Saturday morning, before my first client, I did go to his house.
Ex-Husband: For the first time?
Woman: For the first time. Ever. Like I said, nothing, period, had ever happened or taken place until this snowball. This (expletive) tornado just happened. I know I brought this on.”
The woman explains that her interactions with Greitens were sometimes initiated by herself. They met-because she cut his hair.
Woman: "I met Eric a year ago and I instantly had a big crush on him."
She said she felt drawn to talk to him. But when he told her, “I want you to come over" to his house, she first said no. She wanted to meet for coffee.
But Greitens said “I can't, I can't be seen with you. This is wrong."
Woman: "I said, I know. So he said. Just, please come to my house."
She stated she agreed to go to his house to "talk." It's unclear where Greitens' wife or children were at this time.
The woman said that when the sexual encounter began that Saturday and said it was consensual.
Woman: "He said: "I'll make you feel better. I'll make you feel good. Come downstairs. I want to show you how to do a proper pull-up. And I knew he was being sexual and I still let him. 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 went on to say that some of his actions-scared her.
Woman: "I didn't even know. I feel like I don't even know. I was just numb. I just stood there and didn't (expletive) know."
She went on, describing what Greitens allegedly did next that made her feel sick.
Woman: “He stepped back, I saw a flash through the blindfold and he said: "you're never going to mention my name, otherwise there will be pictures of me everywhere."
Her now ex-husband said that statement upset him.
“He took a picture of my wife naked as blackmail. There is no worse person,” the ex-husband told News 4. And that is still what upsets him. He told News 4, “I think it's as bad as it gets, It’s as bad as it gets when someone takes advantage of something.”
In the recorded phone conversation, the woman takes on some of the blame and says that Greitens apologized after the encounter-and told her he had deleted the picture.
She claims they had at least one more physical interaction later that day.
After the tearful confession, the man and his wife tried reconciling, but according to the man, Greitens was still in her life.
In October 2015, the woman allegedly sent an email to a Gmail account she told her husband she had previously used to get in touch with Greitens.
It stated "Eric, I am asking you to please consider all who are involved and the circumstances around us. I need you to not book at the salon anymore. This isn't fair to me, nor anyone close to us. Please respect me and my wishes."
As for the motivation of the ex-husband in speaking on-camera, he told News 4 “I am not after anything, I am not a part of politics, I am not a part of anything, I just want to move on with my life.”
The man says he didn't want to speak out before, but says recently, he's been contacted by law enforcement authorities and members of the media. He says he wanted to get in front of a story he believed would come out eventually and he wants to protect his family.
“Something happened, churned this, and had people hounding me, even leaving a voicemail on my daughter's phone - when that happened, everything changed,” said the ex-husband.
The ex-husband’s attorney, Al Watkins confirms, he too has been in contact repeatedly with law enforcement agencies about this.
“My knowledge and my experience leads me to believe that at least, there is an elevated degree of interest in what is going on,” said Watkins.
The man and his wife sought a divorce in March of 2016.
By Election Day in November 2016, he was on social media, calling Greitens-a quote "homewrecker."
He told News 4, “this didn't just destroy our marriage, it destroyed an environment, an ecosystem, this destroyed it all.”
Late Wednesday, James Bennett, an attorney for Gov. Greitens released the following statement:
"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."
When questioned by News 4, Greitens did not address the issue of the photograph but the Governor and his wife did release the following statement:
"A few years ago, before Eric 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. 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."
Sheena Greitens added:
"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."
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