Ex-Governor of Missouri Urged to Quit Senate Race After Abuse Allegations

Ex-wife accuses Eric Greitens of 'coercive and unstable behavior'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 21, 2022 6:55 PM CDT
Ex-Wife Accuses GOP Senate Candidate of Domestic Abuse
Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens gestures while speaking to reporters in Jefferson City on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022.   (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Eric Greitens, who resigned as Missouri governor amid multiple scandals in 2018, was urged to end his campaign for US Senate on Monday after another scandal surfaced. In court papers, Sheena Greitens, the Republican candidate's former wife, accused him of being physically abusive toward her and their children, the Washington Post reports. In a sworn affidavit filed in a child custody case, she also said that Greitens had repeatedly threatened to kill himself if she didn't publicly support him during the 2018 scandal. She said that on three occasions in 2018, "multiple people other than myself were worried enough to intervene to limit Eric’s access to firearms."

Sheen Greitens said her then-husband's "coercive and unstable behavior" included "cuffing our then three-year-old son across the face at the dinner table in front of me and yanking him around by the hair." She said that on another occasion, he knocked her down "and confiscated my cell phone, wallet and keys so that I was unable to call for help or extricate myself and our children from our home." She said that when she left with the children, fearing for their safety, Greitens threatened to use his political influence to have her arrested. The divorce was finalized in early 2020 and she moved to Texas with the children. Greitens' rivals in the Missouri race were among those who called for him to leave the race Monday, the AP reports.

"It’s time for Eric to get out of the Senate race and to get professional help," said US Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a Greitens rival. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican who has endorsed Hartzler, tweeted, "If you hit a woman or a child, you belong in handcuffs, not the United States Senate." Florida Sen. Rick Scott told the Post the court filing should make Donald Trump take a "big pause" while he considers endorsing Greitens. The candidate said Monday that he will fight the "completely fabricated baseless allegations." (In 2018, a woman Greiten had an affair with accused him of blackmailing her.)

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