Eric Greitens, Missouri governor, resigns after facing possible impeachment

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, a sometimes brash outsider whose unconventional resume as a Rhodes Scholar and Navy SEAL officer made him a rising star in Republican politics, abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday after a scandal involving an affair with his former hairdresser led to a broader investigation by prosecutors and state legislators.

The 44-year-old governor made the announcement nearly 17 months after taking the oath as Missouri's chief executive with a pledge to root out "corrupt career politicians." The investigations of him widened to include questions about whether he had violated the law in financing the campaign.

Greitens said his resignation would take effect Friday.

A St. Louis grand jury indicted Greitens on Feb. 22 on one felony count of invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a photo of the woman without her consent at his home in 2015, before he was elected governor. The charge was dismissed during jury selection, but a special prosecutor was considering whether to refile charges.

In April, the local St. Louis prosecutor's office charged Greitens with another felony, alleging that he improperly used the donor list for a charity that he'd founded to raise money for his 2016 campaign.

Less than two weeks ago, the Missouri Legislature began meeting in special session to consider whether to pursue impeachment proceedings to try to oust Greitens from office.

A special House investigatory committee had subpoenaed Greitens to testify next Monday.

Greitens' brashness alienated some GOP legislators even before his affair became public in January.

The woman's then-husband released a secretly recorded conversation in which she described the alleged incident. The woman later told a Missouri House investigative committee that Greitens restrained, slapped, shoved and threatened her during a series of sexual encounters that at times left her crying and afraid.

Greitens said the allegations amounted to a "political witch hunt," and vowed to stay in office. But the report's release created a firestorm, with both Republicans and Democrats calling for his resignation.

His departure elevates fellow Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Parson to the governor's office.

Greitens' administration was thrown into chaos the night of Jan. 10, when a St. Louis TV station aired a report about Greitens allegedly taking the compromising photo and threatening to blackmail the woman if she ever spoke of their encounter. The report aired shortly after Greitens delivered his State of the State address to lawmakers.

Greitens admitted to having an affair but denied any criminal wrongdoing. He said the criminal case was politically motivated and called St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, a "reckless liberal prosecutor."

Lawmakers from both parties immediately began questioning whether Greitens could continue to lead the state in the wake of the scandal. The House authorized the legislative investigation a week after the indictment.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley also launched an inquiry into a veterans charity Greitens founded. Federal law bars 501(c)(3) charities such as The Mission Continues from intervening in political campaigns on behalf of candidates.

The Associated Press first reported in October 2016 that Greitens' campaign had obtained a list of individuals, corporations and other nonprofits that had given at least $1,000 to The Mission Continues. The AP reported that Greitens raised about $2 million from those who had previously given significant amounts to the charity.

Hawley, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, turned evidence over to Gardner, saying April 17 that he believed Greitens had broken the law. Her office charged him with tampering with computer data for allegedly disclosing the donor list without the charity's permission.

A May 2 report from a special House investigatory committee indicated that Greitens himself received the donor list and later directed aides to work off it to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign. A former campaign aide testified that he was duped into taking the fall when the campaign tried to explain how it had gotten the list.

The invasion-of-privacy indictment stated that on March 21, 2015, Greitens photographed the woman and transmitted the photo "in a manner that allowed access to that image via a computer."

During her testimony to the House investigative committee, the woman said Greitens invited her to his home and offered to show her "how to do a proper pull-up." The woman said she initially thought "this is going to be some sort of sexy workout." But once in his basement, Greitens taped her hands to pull-up rings, blindfolded her, and started kissing and disrobing her without her consent, according to her testimony.

Then she saw a flash and heard a click, like a cellphone picture, she said. The woman testified that Greitens told her: "Don't even mention my name to anybody at all, because if you do, I'm going to take these pictures, and I'm going to put them everywhere I can. They are going to be everywhere, and then everyone will know what a little whore you are."

Greitens, a married father of two young boys, repeatedly denied blackmailing the woman. He declined to say whether he took a photo.

Greitens, who had also served as a White House fellow and written a best-selling book, entered the 2016 gubernatorial race as a brash outsider. He won an expensive Republican primary, then defeated Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster in the general election to give Republicans control of the governor's mansion for the first time in eight years. Some considered him a potential future presidential contender.

Republicans also controlled the Missouri House and Senate, but there were frequent clashes between lawmakers and Greitens, who compared them to third-graders and labeled them "career politicians."

He confronted criticism from some educators and lawmakers for working to pack the State Board of Education with members who would fire the education commissioner. Greitens' use of a secretive app that deletes messages after they're read also sparked a review by Hawley.

A timeline of events since Greitens' affair was revealed

After the revelation in January that Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens had an extramarital affair with his former hairdresser before he took office, the first-term Republican faced a series of investigations and charges. Here's a look at some of the significant moments that led to Greitens' announcement Tuesday that he was resigning:

Jan. 10 - Hours after Greitens delivers his State of the State speech, St. Louis television station KMOV broadcasts a story featuring a conversation secretly recorded between the governor's former hairdresser and her then-husband in 2015 in which she is heard saying she had a sexual encounter with Greitens. She says he took a photo of her while she was partially nude and threatened to release it if she exposed their relationship. Greitens issues a statement admitting to having an affair but calling it consensual and denying blackmail.

Feb. 22 - A grand jury in St. Louis indicts the governor on a felony invasion of privacy charge for taking and transmitting the alleged photo. Greitens' attorney says the charge is "baseless and unfounded."

March 1 - The Republican-led Missouri House forms a bipartisan committee to investigate Greitens. On the same day, Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley opens an inquiry into The Mission Continues, a veterans charity Greitens founded. A key issue is Greitens' use of a charity donor list for his political campaign.

March 14 - A Democratic consultant files an ethics complaint alleging that Greitens falsely reported how his campaign obtained The Mission Continues' donor list and failed to disclose that it also got the charity's email list.

April 11 - The House investigatory committee releases a graphic report that details instances in which Greitens' former hairdresser says he slapped, spanked, shoved, grabbed and called her derogatory names during a series of sexual encounters in 2015. The committee finds her testimony credible. Greitens says the report is part of a "witch hunt." The woman's name never has been officially released; it is redacted from the legislative documents and she is identified only by her initials in court filings.

April 17 - Hawley announces that Greitens may have committed a felony by taking The Mission Continues' donor list and using it for political fundraising without the charity's permission. Hawley turned his evidence over to St. Louis prosecutors.

April 20 - St. Louis prosecutors charge Greitens with a felony of tampering with computer data for allegedly disclosing The Mission Continues' donor list to his political fundraiser in 2015 without the permission of the St. Louis-based charity. Greitens says the allegations are "ridiculous" and resists calls to resign.

May 2 - The House investigatory committee releases a second report that indicates that Greitens originally received The Mission Continues' donor list so he could call key supporters of the charity and explain that he was stepping down as CEO in 2014. However, the report says Greitens directed political aides to work off the list to raise money for his campaign - even though he had signed an agreement to not disclose the charity's confidential donor information. The report also indicates that Greitens' campaign later lied in campaign finance reports about how it got the list.

May 3 - Republican leaders in the Missouri House and Senate announce they have enough signatures to call a special legislative session to consider disciplinary actions against Greitens that could include impeachment.

May 14 - Three days into jury selection in Greitens' trial on the felony invasion of privacy charge, prosecutors abruptly drop the charge after the court rules that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner would be questioned and might have to testify at the trial with Greitens' attorneys attacking her handling of the case. Greitens declares an initial victory, but Gardner says she plans to pursue the case, either through a special prosecutor or an appointed assistant.

May 18 - State lawmakers convene a special session to consider whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against Greitens. The session could last up to 30 days.

May 21 - A judge appoints a special prosecutor, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, to decide whether to refile the invasion of privacy case against Greitens.

May 29 - Greitens announces that he's resigning as of 5 p.m. Friday, June 1.