Eric Greitens

Eric Robert Greitens (/ˈɡraɪtənz/ GRY-tənz; born April 10, 1974) is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Navy SEAL. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 56th governor of Missouri from January 2017 until his resignation in June 2018. His resignation followed multiple investigations involving allegations related to an extramarital relationship, in which he was accused of blackmail and sexual assault, and improper campaign‑finance practices, although all the associated criminal charges were later dropped.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Greitens graduated from Duke University in 1996 and received a doctorate in 2000 from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, as a Rhodes scholar. During his four tours of duty as a U.S. Navy SEAL officer, he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. He commanded a unit targeting al-Qaeda, and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Later, after being a White House fellow, Greitens founded a nonprofit organization, The Mission Continues, to benefit veterans. In 2013, Time included him in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Greitens ran for governor of Missouri as a Republican in 2016. In the predominately Republican state, Greitens prevailed over three opponents in the Republican primary. He defeated Democratic Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster in the general election. He was Missouri's first Jewish governor. One of Greitens's signature acts in office was signing Missouri's right-to-work law, which was later repealed by statewide referendum.

In February 2018, Greitens was charged with felony invasion of privacy related to an extramarital relationship. Prosecutors alleged that he had taken an unauthorized photograph of the woman involved. The woman also made allegations that he had sexually assaulted her, which Greitens denied. A bipartisan Special Investigative Committee of the Missouri House of Representatives reviewed the matter and released a report in April 2018.

In April 2018, Greitens was separately indicted on a felony count of computer tampering. The charge concerned the alleged use of a donor list from The Mission Continues, the nonprofit organization he co-founded, for political fundraising without their permission. All criminal charges in both cases were dropped in May 2018.

Greitens resigned from the governorship on June 1, 2018, shortly after the Missouri General Assembly convened a special session to consider possible impeachment proceedings.

In 2022, Greitens attempted a return to public office, running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring incumbent Roy Blunt in the 2022 election. He lost the Republican primary to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who won the general election.