A Missouri House committee released a report Wednesday regarding allegations of sexual assault against Gov. Eric Greitens (R), saying in the report that they believe the woman who made the allegations is credible. Greitens called the investigation a “political witch hunt” and has refused to step down as governor or as a candidate for reelection.
The 25-page report marks the first time the public has heard sworn testimony from the woman who has said Greitens assaulted her. In her testimony, the woman told a graphic story in which Greitens invited her to his home in 2015 while his wife was away, tied her up in the basement, and ripped open her clothes, all without her consent.
Greitens then allegedly blindfolded the woman and took photos of her, called her “a little whore,” and threatened to make the photos public if she ever spoke about the incident. Greitens attacked the woman when she tried to leave the basement and forced his penis into her mouth.
The woman testified that the pair had a number of other encounters, some consensual and some not, and that Greitens hit her on three occasions.
According to the Kansas City Star, the committee also interviewed two of the woman’s friends, who said she told them about her encounters with Greitens at the time. In 2015, Greitens admitted the affair with the woman happened, but he has denied any allegations of blackmail or violence.
Local news station KMOV first reported the allegations in January. The woman has said she did not want to tell her story, but her allegations were detailed in a tape recording the woman’s ex-husband made while the two were still together, which KMOV obtained.
Greitens was indicted and arrested — and later released — last month for taking the photo of the woman without her consent, but the Missouri Republican party has stood by him. The state party’s executive director Sam Cooper has even argued that the attorney who launched the investigation, Kim Gardner, is essentially working for George Soros.
Here’s our full statement on the recent news re: Governor Greitens ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QlsRmlgEiv
— Missouri GOP (@MissouriGOP) February 23, 2018
“Kim Gardner has received more than $200,000 from George Soros groups,” Cooper said. “Missourians should see this for what it is, a political hit job.”
But even some members of Greiten’s party have taken a stand and called for the governor to step down.
“I am disgusted to learn that a grand jury has found sufficient evidence to indict Governor Greitens on a felony charge,” Sen. Caleb Rowden (R) said in a statement last month. “The conservative values that put us in office are far bigger than any single person. For the sake of our state, I am calling on Governor Greitens to put an end to this distraction and resign immediately. Should he refuse to step aside, I will call on my colleagues in the house to take all necessary actions to remove the governor from office.”