WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., stands by his decision to call on then-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to resign in 2018.
Hawley was reluctant to comment on Greitens’ Senate candidacy Tuesday, but he told reporters at the Capitol that he had no regrets about calling on the fellow Republican to step down from office three years ago.
“I wouldn’t change any of that,” Hawley told the Senate press pool.
Hawley was serving as Missouri attorney general and mounting a Senate campaign against incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill when Greitens, a fellow Republican, became engulfed in scandal.
Following the release of a Missouri House report that laid out allegations of physical and sexual abuse, Hawley called on Greitens to resign in April of 2018.
In the report, Greitens’ alleged victim testified that he forced her to perform oral sex after he took a nude photograph without her consent. She also testified that Greitens hit her on three occasions.
“The House Investigative Committee’s Report contains shocking, substantial, and corroborated evidence of wrongdoing by Governor Greitens,” Hawley said at the time, contending that the report provided evidence of impeachable offenses.
“But the people of Missouri should not be put through that ordeal,” Hawley said. “Governor Greitens should resign immediately.”
Greitens has repeatedly denied the allegations of blackmail and violence. During a Fox News interview Monday, Greitens maintained that he resigned to protect his family — despite initially rejecting the calls for his resignation by Hawley and others.
“It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, because I knew that all of these accusations were false. The good news for us is that that big wave of lies has now crashed on the rock of the facts,” Greitens said when asked about the reason for his resignation.
Hawley has faced calls for his own resignation in recent months after leading the effort to object to President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory on Jan. 6, which his critics say helped lead to the attack on the Capitol.
Hawley declined to answer a question Tuesday on whether Greitens should represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. He downplayed the significance of Greitens’ campaign announcement, noting that a number of other Republicans in the state are gearing up to run.
“I imagine I’ll support the Republican nominee, I mean, whoever it is. But there’s a lot of game to play here,” Hawley said.
He noted that the filing deadline in Missouri is not until March of 2022. The primary will take place in August of that year.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Hawley’s successor, and multiple members of the state’s congressional delegation have also expressed interest in pursuing retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat.
“I can say for certain based on the number of phone calls that I’ve received. There are a lot of people interested in this race so I think there’ll be many more,” Hawley said.
Hawley said he was in communication with former President Donald Trump about the race. Trump’s endorsement could prove crucial in the crowded primary field in a state Trump won by double digits in two elections.
“You know, he’s very interested in this race because I think he understands the importance of the seat. I think it’s vital to hold the seat, so we’ll see,” Hawley said.
Asked about the possibility that the former president could endorse Greitens, Hawley said Trump can endorse whoever he likes.
Greitens has already announced an endorsement from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer throughout his presidency and his failed efforts to contest the 2020 election.
However, it’s unlikely that Hawley will steer Trump toward an endorsement of Greitens based on their history.
In addition to calling on Greitens to resign, Hawley recommended Greitens be charged with a felony for computer tampering after conducting an investigation of his charity, The Mission Continues.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner charged Greitens at Hawley’s recommendation based on allegations that his campaign had illegally obtained the charity’s donor list, but she dropped the case after his resignation from office in May of 2018.
Greitens officially filed his federal campaign committee Tuesday and listed Jack Neyens, a vice president of The Mission Continues, as his treasurer. Neyens had previously served as treasurer of his state committee.
Blunt, whose recent retirement announcement triggered the open seat race, declined to weigh in on Greitens’ candidacy.
Blunt told reporters that he was not interested in “denigrating or enhancing any individual candidates.”
Other Republican leaders were cautious when asked about Greitens’ candidacy. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said it would be up to Missouri GOP voters to decide their nominee.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, noted that a number of other candidates are expected to join race.
Asked if the NRSC would support Greitens if he won the nomination, Scott replied, “We’ll deal with that at the time.”
