Missouri governor calls prosecutor a ‘reckless liberal’ over indictment

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) on Thursday accused the St. Louis Circuit attorney of being a “reckless liberal prosecutor” out to “score political points” after her office announced felony invasion of privacy charges against him.

“With today’s disappointing and misguided political decision, my confidence in our prosecutorial system is shaken, but not broken,” Greitens said in a statement, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I know this will be righted soon.”

“The people of Missouri deserve better than a reckless liberal prosecutor who uses her office to score political points,” he added, referring to St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat.

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A St. Louis grand jury indicted Greitens earlier Thursday on a felony invasion of privacy charge stemming from allegations that he threatened to release a nude photo of a woman he was having an affair with if she revealed their relationship. 

Greitens acknowledged in the statement that he “made a personal mistake” before he had become governor, but denied that he committed a crime. 

Greitens, who was elected governor in 2016, was taken into custody and booked at the St. Louis Justice Center on Thursday afternoon. 

“I look forward to the legal remedies to reverse this action,” Greitens said, according to the Post-Dispatch. “This will not for a moment deter me from doing the important work of the great people of Missouri.”