JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. _ Gov. Eric Greitens is asking a Missouri House committee that has been investigating him to delay the release of a report detailing its findings until after his criminal trial is complete out of concern it could taint the potential jury pool.
In a letter to the committee dated March 26, Greitens' attorneys say the governor is "willing to provide testimony to the committee, as well as all necessary documentation, discovery, depositions, and other key information."
But the governor's attorneys contend that a request that Greitens appear before the committee before his criminal trial, scheduled to take place in May, is "unreasonable."
And releasing a report without all possible evidence, the governor's lawyers contend, could hurt Greitens' ability to get a fair trial.
"Anything published by this committee will no doubt influence the jury pool and the public about this case," the letter says, "and thus it is vital that the committee's work reflect the full facts."
The letter was signed by St. Louis attorney Ed Dowd, the governor's private defense counsel, and Lucinda Luetkemeyer, the general counsel in the governor's office.
It's also signed by Ross Garber, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney whose previous clients include three former governors who faced impeachment proceedings _ Robert Bentley of Alabama, Mark Sanford of South Carolina and John Rowland of Connecticut.
State Rep. Jay Barnes, chair of the investigative committee, and state Rep. Don Phillips, vice-chair of the committee, released a statement Tuesday evening saying the committee "has given Gov. Greitens the opportunity to testify, and remains open to receiving further information as it continues its work."
A St. Louis grand jury in February indicted Greitens on a felony charge of invasion of privacy.
Greitens is accused of taking a nude photo of a woman with whom he was having an affair in 2015. The photo was allegedly taken while the woman's hands were bound and she was blindfolded. In an audio recording released in January by her ex-husband, the woman says Greitens threatened to release the photo if she ever spoke publicly about their relationship.
The Special Investigative Committee on Oversight was created by House Speaker Todd Richardson shortly after the indictment, with Barnes pledging to focus the investigation on the underlying facts of the indictment and the "circumstances surrounding that."
The committee has interviewed the woman at the heart of the allegation, as well as her ex-husband. It also has expanded its inquiry to include allegations that the governor improperly used the resources of a veterans charity to benefit his 2016 gubernatorial campaign.
The committee last month subpoenaed documents from The Mission Continues, a charity Greitens founded in 2007.
Barnes' committee is scheduled to finish its work April 8 and produce a report detailing its findings shortly thereafter. Barnes also has promised redacted transcripts of witness testimony.
The public and the media have not been permitted to attend any of the committee's hearings, most of which have taken place down the street from the Capitol at the Jefferson City Police Department.
Greitens' attorneys say the court's restrictions on what information can and cannot be released make it impossible for him to provide what the committee needs to complete its work.
That includes discovery information from the St. Louis prosecutor, transcripts of depositions of key witnesses and other critical information that is not currently available to the committee. That information will be available only after the criminal trial is concluded, the letter says.
The committee deserves to see that evidence, the letter continues, much of which will demonstrate that accusations made against the governor are false.
"Over 36 months have passed since the incidents being investigated by this committee allegedly took place," the letter says. "Surely the committee can spare six additional weeks to get a full and complete accounting of what actually occurred. The matters being investigated by the committee are not urgent, nor, for that matter, are they matters directly related to the continued functioning of state government."
A "rushed, incomplete, inaccurate report will not serve the committee, the House or the people of Missouri well," the letter says. "Speed is not of the essence here; accuracy is."
