JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on allegations against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (all times local):
6:40 p.m.
The St. Louis circuit attorney’s office says it hired private investigators from Michigan to ensure an independent investigation into Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.
Greitens’ attorney Edward Dowd Jr. questioned the arrangement Tuesday while suggesting that local police should have been used.
But Susan Ryan, a spokeswoman for Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, said local police directed them to the FBI, which said it didn’t have jurisdiction to help.
An agreement filed in court Tuesday shows Enterra LLC of Rochester Hills, Michigan, was to be paid a retainer of $10,000 for the investigation.
A grand jury indicted Greitens last week on an invasion of privacy charge stemming from a compromising, nonconsensual photo he allegedly took of a woman with whom he had an affair in 2015.
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This update has been corrected to show that the investigative company is in Rochester Hills, not Rochester.
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5:40 p.m.
The St. Louis prosecutor’s office, which is investigating Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, has copies of emails between the Republican and a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office on Tuesday released a list of evidence it has for the investigation. The office launched a review after Greitens admitted to having an affair with his then-hairdresser in 2015, before he was elected.
A grand jury on Thursday indicted Greitens on one count of invasion of privacy for taking a partially nude photo of the woman without her consent.
The prosecutor’s office also says it has several photos. But Greitens’ attorney Edward L. Dowd Jr. says that refers to a publicly available professional headshot of the woman.
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5:10 p.m.
A Missouri House committee investigating allegations against Gov. Eric Greitens could hire a private investigator and close testimony to the public to protect the identity of some witnesses.
Committee Chairman Jay Barnes filed a resolution Tuesday that would set parameters for the seven-member committee announced a day earlier.
The panel was formed after Greitens was indicted on an invasion-of-privacy charge for allegedly taking a photo of a partially nude woman in 2015 without her consent and transmitting it to a computer.
The resolution says the panel could hire independent investigators and special counsel and compel testimony through subpoenas. It would have 40 days to issue a report, but that could be extended.
The legislative panel could determine whether to initiate impeachment proceedings.
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3:50 p.m.
Attorneys for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens are questioning why St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner hired a private company out of Michigan to perform the investigation that led to his indictment, rather than relying on St. Louis police.
Greitens’ attorneys in a court filing Tuesday cited documents showing that Enterra LLC of Rochester Hills, Michigan, conducted the investigation connected to the Republican governor’s affair with a woman in 2015, before he was elected.
A grand jury on Thursday indicted Greitens on one count of invasion of privacy for taking a partially nude photo of the woman without her consent.
Attorney Edward L. Dowd Jr. says he obtained documents through a Freedom of Information Act request showing that at least $10,000 has already been paid to Enterra.
It’s unclear why an outside firm was used for the investigation instead of St. Louis police. Messages seeking comment from a spokeswoman for Gardner were not immediately returned.
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9:30 a.m.
A newly publicized email is shedding more light on how Gov. Eric Greitens’ campaign obtained a donor list belonging to a veterans charity he founded.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday that it had obtained an email showing that The Mission Continues donor list was sent to Greitens’ campaign staffers Michael Hafner and Danny Laub in January 2015 by Krystal Taylor.
Taylor’s LinkedIn profile says she was a vice president at the Greitens Group and had previously worked for the Mission Continues.
The Associated Press reported in October 2016 that Greitens’ campaign had obtained the donor list and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from people on it.
Greitens’ campaign paid an Ethics Commission fine last year for failing to report its receipt of the list.
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12 a.m.
The Missouri House has formed a special panel of seven lawmakers to investigate Gov. Eric Greitens following his indictment on an invasion-of-privacy charge.
The committee will have subpoena power as it determines whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against the Republican governor. Its work will be separate from the criminal proceedings in St. Louis.
Committee Chairman Jay Barnes on Monday pledged a “fair, thorough and timely” investigation “without any pre-ordained results.”
An indictment handed down Thursday alleges Greitens took a photo of a fully or partially nude woman without her consent and transmitted it to a computer. The alleged incident occurred in March 2015 as Greitens was preparing to run for governor.
Greitens has acknowledged having an affair hasn’t directly answered questions about whether took a photo.
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