On a special edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies talk about Gov. Eric Greitens’ admission of an extramarital affair — and allegations that he blackmailed a woman to prevent her from speaking out.
The startling report from KMOV-TV came out Tuesday after Greitens gave his second State of the State address. The governor admitted to infidelity before he was elected governor. But his attorney is forcefully denying that he took a compromising photo of the woman as a way to make her not reveal the affair.
The KMOV report featured the woman’s ex-husband, who the station granted anonymity. The woman declined to comment for the story and has yet to speak on the record. Some journalists questioned whether KMOV should have run the piece without having the woman, as opposed to the ex-husband, tell the story. The attorney for the woman asked for privacy on Friday afternoon.
In any case, the story seriously damaged Greitens’ national political prospects. And it’s an open question whether he can stay in office — especially because elected officials he previously derided aren’t rushing to defense.
In addition to analysis from Rosenbaum and Mannies, the podcast features comments from:
- State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis
- GOP political consultant David Barklage
- Former Missouri Republican Party chairman John Hancock
- State Rep. Jean Evans, R-Manchester
- State Rep. Gina Mitten, D-Richmond Heights
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Jo Mannies on Twitter: @jmannies
Music: “Beware” by Deftones
