On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann reflect on Gov. Eric Greitens’ decision to resign from office.
The move marks a stunning end to what appeared to be a fast-rising political career that began with presidential ambitions and ended with a wave of scandal.
Greitens announced on Tuesday that he would step down at 5 p.m. on Friday. It came amid two separate criminal charges and an increasing likelihood that the Missouri House would impeach him. And it also came after a Cole County judge ruled that Greitens had to turn over documents about A New Missouri, a politically-active nonprofit that’s attacked Greitens’ opponents without revealing its donors.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker is still looking into allegations of sexual misconduct against the woman with whom Greitens had an affair. But as a part of a deal for him to resign, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner dropped felony computer data tampering charges related to how Greitens obtained a fundraising list from The Mission Continues.
With Greitens departing, Lt. Gov. Mike Parson will take over as governor. Unlike Greitens, Parson has extensive experience in local and state government — and members of both parties hope he can deal with Missouri’s vexing problems.
Some of the topics talked about on this show include:
- Reaction to Greitens’ resignation from lawmakers.
- A breakdown on why Gardner dropped The Mission Continues charges.
- Why lawmakers are still interested in finding out about “dark money” that helped and hurt Greitens.
- Some of the broader takeaways from five months that upended Missouri politics.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Jo on Twitter: @jmannies
Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann
Music: “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire
