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Missouri Governor: 'I Did Not Commit A Crime'

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said Thursday night he's innocent after he was arrested on a felony charge tied to an admitted affair.
Posted at 10:25 PM, Feb 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-22 22:25:29-05

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is again denying he did anything illegal after he was arrested on a felony invasion of privacy charge Thursday.

Greitens said in a statement: "As I have said before, I made a personal mistake before I was Governor. I did not commit a crime."

This all stems from an affair Greitens admits to having in 2015 shortly before he started running for governor. Greitens allegedly took a naked picture of his lover and threatened to use it as blackmail. It's not totally clear if Thursday's indictment is for that incident, but the charge is linked to something that's at least very similar. 

Greitens also used his statement to attack the St. Louis circuit attorney, who started the investigation that led to the charge. Greitens called her "a reckless liberal prosecutor who uses her office to score political points."

To be clear: A grand jury indicted Greitens, not the circuit attorney.

Top Republicans in Missouri's legislature said they would appoint a group to investigate the charge and "answer the question as to whether or not the governor can lead our state while a felony case moves forward."

Greitens was released and is due back in court March 16. He's set to be in Washington, D.C., this weekend for an annual meeting of the country's governors.