# Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens - indicted! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 23, 2018, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376 "2018-02-23T00:37:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/101 "2018-04-21T10:54:52Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Seriously, why would he respect things like criminal laws against rape? He watched the same election results we did: the country voted for a serial sexual assailant as president and congress doesn’t seem particularly interested in restraining the authoritarian in chief. > > Greitens figures that if it works for one Executive, it can work him, too. The DOJ is extremely unlikely to indict a sitting President, even one as deeply corrupt as the one we’ve got. However, no similar restraint applies to lesser officials, [as one sitting Vice President found out back in 1973](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew#Criminal_investigation_and_resignation). ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/102 "2018-04-21T12:04:06Z")
Ah, yes, Spirochete Agnew! ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/103 "2018-04-21T12:14:22Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Something I didn’t know until recently, is that he was (as SEALs go) kind of a nobody. He got passed over for a command, and left after only 4 years. Apparently, it’s kind of verboten to get your trident and bail out at the earliest opportunity. That explains a lot, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/104 "2018-04-21T12:37:57Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > That explains a lot, actually. Crazy way to build a resume. Here is the article: > **[Navy SEALs claim credit for video critical of Greitens - The Missouri Times](https://themissouritimes.com/navy-seals-claim-credit-for-video-critical-of-greitens/)** > > JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The men who designed, produced, and edited content for a video critical of Missouri gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens’ time as a Navy… ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/105 "2018-04-21T13:00:16Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > The DOJ is extremely unlikely to indict a sitting President, even one as deeply corrupt as the one we’ve got. However, no similar restraint applies to lesser officials, [as one sitting Vice President found out back in 1973](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew#Criminal_investigation_and_resignation). Yep. And I think Greitens is now pretty much absolutely fucked. A governor doesn’t have the same protections as the President, and even his own party is abandoning him. Nothing in Greitens’ SEAL training prepared him for what he’s about to face, which is the end of his term as governor and probably the end of his political career. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/106 "2018-04-21T13:42:13Z")
Can he sneak into the state capitol with a Sig Sauer MCX and “surgically remove” his enemies? :rolleyes: (Note that at least one state senator [has formally asked for additional capitol security.](https://themissouritimes.com/50405/nasheed-requests-additional-security-from-greitens/)) ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/107 "2018-04-21T21:23:11Z")
I’m going to be dead honest. I heard the transcript of his accuser’s statement, read out loud, by Rick Unger on _Steele and Unger_ (the political talk show on Sirius.) I am now skeptical of the claims. He may have put a move on her that was sexually inappropriate, and he may indeed have taken a picture. But the rest of it, seems like there may be more to the story and the woman’s _husband_ might have a larger role in this than the woman herself. I am a Democrat, I would not have voted for Greitens, and I think the majority of sexual allegations against political figures are true. There are corrupt scumbags everywhere. Greitens may himself be one, but I’ll just say I’m skeptical of the allegations after hearing the specific claims. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/108 "2018-04-22T00:53:35Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > I’m going to be dead honest. I heard the transcript of his accuser’s statement, read out loud, by Rick Unger on _Steele and Unger_ (the political talk show on Sirius.) I am now skeptical of the claims. > > He may have put a move on her that was sexually inappropriate, and he may indeed have taken a picture. But the rest of it, seems like there may be more to the story and the woman’s _husband_ might have a larger role in this than the woman herself. > > I am a Democrat, I would not have voted for Greitens, and I think the majority of sexual allegations against political figures are true. There are corrupt scumbags everywhere. Greitens may himself be one, but I’ll just say I’m skeptical of the allegations after hearing the specific claims. That could be, but there’s still the problem of Greitens allegedly committing a felony by using private data as a campaign database. If the sexual assault and revenge porn/blackmail claims against Greitens are false, then I’m all for his having his day in court and having charges dismissed, but Greitens just generally seems like a first-rate douchebag and he doesn’t seem to be the right guy to lead Missouri. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/109 "2018-04-22T00:56:20Z")
My apologies if this has already been posted, but it doesn’t seem like his fellow SEALs think much of him. > **[Navy SEALs claim credit for video critical of Greitens - The Missouri Times](https://themissouritimes.com/navy-seals-claim-credit-for-video-critical-of-greitens/)** > > JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The men who designed, produced, and edited content for a video critical of Missouri gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens’ time as a Navy… > [@](#): > > The men who designed, produced, and edited content for a video critical of Missouri gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens’ time as a Navy SEAL have come forward to the Missouri Times. The makers of “Eric Greitens: The Heart and the Myth,” **are a group of current and former Navy SEALs who have served with him, commanded him, or are currently serving in the SEALs.** ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/110 "2018-04-22T01:32:19Z")
Have we learned nothing from the “Swiftboating” incident? _Of course_ some guys will always be found (organized/paid/coerced/whatever) to talk shit about someone they once worked with, when said person is involved in a contentious political issue. I’m sorry if I sound like I’m, like, giving this guy too much of a pass. I’m just trying to be reasonable and as objective as possible. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/111 "2018-04-22T02:46:14Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Have we learned nothing from the “Swiftboating” incident? _Of course_ some guys will always be found (organized/paid/coerced/whatever) to talk shit about someone they once worked with, when said person is involved in a contentious political issue. > > I’m sorry if I sound like I’m, like, giving this guy too much of a pass. I’m just trying to be reasonable and as objective as possible. The weakness of liberals: fairness. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/112 "2018-04-22T03:01:08Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Have we learned nothing from the “Swiftboating” incident? _Of course_ some guys will always be found (organized/paid/coerced/whatever) to talk shit about someone they once worked with, when said person is involved in a contentious political issue. > > I’m sorry if I sound like I’m, like, giving this guy too much of a pass. I’m just trying to be reasonable and as objective as possible. It would be reasonable and objective to consider that Greitens has some of the best lawyers in the state working on his defense, and every motion they’ve filed to dismiss the charges has been thrown out by the court. It would also be reasonable and objective to consider that using his own charity’s mailing list would not only be a felony for him, but could put the charity’s status with the IRS in jeopardy. And Greitens wouldn’t be the first person to have served bravely and honorably in the military and turn out to be a slimeball (_cough_ Oliver North _cough_ Daniel Walker _cough_ Harrison Williams _cough_ etc.) in the political world. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/113 "2018-04-22T03:38:15Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > …And Greitens wouldn’t be the first person to have served bravely and honorably in the military and turn out to be a slimeball (_cough_ Oliver North _cough_ Daniel Walker _cough_ Harrison Williams _cough_ etc.) in the political world. I certainly don’t think as highly of John McCain as I did in 2000. He was a brave naval aviator and selfless POW, but he’s been slimy with some regularity since. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/114 "2018-04-22T04:36:35Z")
I wouldn’t exactly call McCain a “slimeball”, but I would say he has acted like a bitch. I think it’s actually sad that as his life seems to be drawing to a close - and I sincerely hope that it only ‘seems’ to be that way and that he can somehow hang in there, because I wouldn’t wish cancer on my worst fucking enemy - he’s going to be more remembered for not stepping up more during these times, than anything he did previously, and I think that’s a shame. The personality characteristics of “Naval Aviator who is capable of landing on carriers” and “bitch” don’t usually tend to overlap in life, so I have to say I have been very much unable to comprehend McCain’s apparent lack of principles right now. He complained and complained about Trump and how bad he was, but when he had the opportunity to actually do something, like offer some token resistance to the more egregious cabinet nominations like DeVos and Pruitt, he just stood by and basically “showed his bitch card” and that he was selling “wolf tickets” with all those imprecations against Trump, not being able to back them up with anything. That means he’s a bitch. How someone was able to go through that training, go through all the running and sprinting and pushups and yelling and screaming and obstacle courses and midshipman hazing at the Naval Academy, then go through all the subsequent aviator aspirant training, the exercises with drowning and survival training, the learning how to function with impaired oxygen, all the shit you saw in _An Officer and a Gentleman_, then on top of THAT, learn about aerodynamics and lift and drag and headings and bearings and on and on and on, staying awake throughout the whole thing, and then learn how to fly the actual aircraft, and then learn how to land it on a little tiny strip of land in the ocean, which is actually MOVING while you are trying to do all of this…it’s not something that most human beings are capable of. Actually, maybe most human beings CAN be TRAINED to do it, but the thing is that only a FEW of them have the willpower to complete the training. In any case, it’s not usually the kind of person who’s going to be a bitch. And yet here we have a bitch, named John McCain. I hope that he ceases to be a bitch. I hope that he does this before he departs from this existence. I hope that, in the event that he _doesn’t_, I can force myself to remember him as the man who was capable of doing everything I described above, and not as a bitch, every time I see his name. But unfortunately, I just can’t guarantee that this will be possible. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/115 "2018-04-22T13:20:04Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Have we learned nothing from the “Swiftboating” incident? _Of course_ some guys will always be found (organized/paid/coerced/whatever) to talk shit about someone they once worked with, when said person is involved in a contentious political issue. > > I’m sorry if I sound like I’m, like, giving this guy too much of a pass. I’m just trying to be reasonable and as objective as possible. Did you watch the video in question, linked in the article? It’s not just that some guys don’t like the guy. One of the main points is that he never did any real SEAL-y shit, but won’t shut up about it and misrepresents his service constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/116 "2018-04-22T16:15:01Z")
Well, even in “the Teams”, there _are_ a few shitbirds who slip through the cracks or have the capability to finish the training but not operate well as part of a team. Greitens sounds like he may be one of them. I sometimes read the blog “This Ain’t Hell”, written by military NCOs, to keep tabs on what’s going on in the military because I have a few good friends who are on active duty right now, and because it’s important to stay abreast on from a political standpoint. The blog has a very decidedly conservative bent, but they generally will call out any military or former military people in the public sphere who are “blue falcons” and give the service a bad name with corruption or sexual scandals. They’ve been pretty silent on Greitens, which makes me wonder if they want to just wait until he’s formally convicted before passing judgment. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/117 "2018-05-04T02:52:39Z")
The Republican-controlled Missouri legislature will hold a special session to discuss [impeaching Greitens.](http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/missouri-lawmakers-to-convene-special-session-on-potential-greitens-impeachment/article_f121e6d0-0fc6-5abe-a9c4-e9c20dc243de.html) 138 (out of 163) members of the General Assembly and 29 (out of 34) state Senators signed the petition calling for the session, which will begin 30 minutes after the current session ends on May 18. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/118 "2018-05-04T21:13:33Z")
What’s the reason for holding a special session for it, instead of just doing it in the regular session? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/119 "2018-05-04T21:15:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What’s the reason for holding a special session for it, instead of just doing it in the regular session? Not much time left (maybe they’ve already ended the session) > [@](#): > > According to Article III, Section 20 of the Missouri Constitution, the General Assembly must convene on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January following the state general election. It adjourns on May 30, with no consideration of bills after 6:00 p.m. on the first Friday following the second Monday in May. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376/120 "2018-05-04T21:46:54Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Not much time left (maybe they’ve already ended the session) Yeah, per **Procustus** ’ cite, a bill of impeachment would need to be introduced in the General Assembly no later than May 18, and the legislature adjourns by law on May 30. Meanwhile, there are 18 individual appropriations bills that fund the various parts of state government, and none of them have been voted on. I don’t even think any of them have been reported out of committee yet. Traditionally, the last couple of weeks of the legislative sessions have been a continuous parade of bill readings and gavel bangings. Not to mention that the governor’s **first** felony case (the juicy one, with the mistress) doesn’t start until May 14. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-gov-eric-greitens-indicted/809376.md?page=7)