(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) The case that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner built to prosecute former Missouri governor and current Republican Senate candidate Eric Greitens in 2018 was always suspect.
It became even more so this week, when the private investigator Gardner had hired to handle the Greitens case, a former FBI agent, cut a plea deal on charges of perjury and tampering with evidence as part of his work on the Greitens prosecution.
The investigator’s plea deal likely landed harder than a mule kick to Gardner’s gut.
The Soros-funded prosecutor is facing a court hearing, with Missouri’s chief disciplinary counsel accusing Gardner of concealing evidence that might have helped Greitens, reported Just the News.
If the charge is sustained, Gardner could face a wide range of penalties, up to having her law license yanked.
Under the broad umbrella of professional misconduct, Gardner is accused of hiding details about the Greitens investigation from her own team, failing to share notes taken during interviews with witnesses, misrepresenting evidence to the court and not disclosing evidence to Greitens’ legal team.
The accusations strongly parallel charges that were brought against the investigator Gardner had hired to work the Greitens case; as part of his plea deal, William Don Tisaby admitted to concealing and suppressing documents in the Greitens case, according to KMOV4.
Greitens was barely a year into his first term as Missouri governor in 2018, when he admitted to an extramarital affair that had happened years earlier.
The woman in the affair accused Greitens of taking compromising photos of her without her consent and using them to blackmail her into silence. Greitens confessed to the affair, but called it consensual and denied blackmailing the woman.
At which point the hard-leftist Gardner decided to go after the newly-elected Republican governor, indicting Greitens on a felony invasion of privacy charge for taking and transmitting the alleged photo.
One month later, Gardner charged Greitens with a felony for alleged improprieties with his political fundraiser.
Before the case ever came to trail, Greitens’ attorneys criticized Gardner’s handling of the invasion of privacy case still pending and a court ruled Gardner might have to testify about her actions.
The case was suddenly and suspiciously dropped.
Greitens resigned as governor a few weeks later when the GOP-led state Legislature began investigating whether to pursue impeachment proceedings.
After slowly working his way back into the political game, becoming a strong Trump supporter and establishment basher in the process, Greitens is now running for the Missouri Senate seat left open when Republican Sen. Roy Blunt announced he wouldn’t seek reelection.
While polling currently shows Greitens maintaining a slim lead, recent allegations of spousal and child abuse have sidetracked his campaign and left an opening for a crowded field of candidates, reported Fox News
One of those candidates is Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis attorney who was indicted by Gardner two years ago when he and his wife brandished guns to warn off a mob of Black Lives Matter protestors that was marching near their home.
Gardner was eventually booted off that case after a judge dismissed her, citing her using the McCloskey prosecution as campaign-fundraising fodder.
“In short, the Circuit Attorney’s conduct raises the appearance that she initiated a criminal prosecution for political purposes,” the judge wrote at the time.
That likely sounds familiar to Greitens, who this week said the plea deal struck in the Gardner-led case when he was Missouri’s governor, along with the misconduct charges Gardner is facing, proves the original prosecution was a politically motivated “witch hunt,” according to KSDK5.
“The truth prevails,” Greitens said. “Those who made false accusations against me have been proven wrong once again.”
💣 BOMBSHELL. pic.twitter.com/QCceoHQLRh
— Team Greitens (@TeamGreitens) March 24, 2022
Greitens this week called the latest allegations of spousal and child abuse he’s facing during his Senate run “baseless.”
“Being a father is the joy of my life and my single most important responsibility,” Greitens tweeted.
“I will continue to love and care for my beautiful sons with all of my being, and that includes fighting for the truth and against completely fabricated, baseless allegations.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who is backing Rep. Vicky Hartzler in the race for the open Senate seat, called for Greitens to quit.
“If you hit a woman or a child, you belong in handcuffs, not the United States Senate,” Hawley said. “It’s time for Eric Greitens to leave this race.”
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who is also running against Greitens, said the accusations are damning.
“These allegations of abuse are disgusting and sickening,” Schmitt tweeted, and also called on Greitens to quit.
The behavior described in this affidavit is cause for Eric Greitens to be in prison, not on the ballot for U.S. Senate. He should end his campaign immediately. 2/2 #MOSen
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) March 21, 2022
Schmitt and Hawley might not want to hold their breath.
Appearing on Steve Bannon’s “War Room,” Greitens said the latest accusations were another smear campaign, this time led by establishment GOP swampers, and he has no intention of quitting.
“We found out today that RINOs are now working to make more false allegations,” he told Bannon.
I was the first person in the country to say when I’m in the Senate, I’m voting against Mitch McConnell.
Now, we are hearing that DC political operatives worked with my ex-wife to spread false allegations.
But as people of faith know, the truth always comes to light. pic.twitter.com/CwEEuX1FCo
— Eric Greitens (@EricGreitens) March 21, 2022
“But as people of faith know,” Greitens said, “the truth always comes to light.”
