IN TROUBLE

Woman Tells Lawmakers She Had Unwanted Sexual Encounter With Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens

He denounced the allegations as a “political witch hunt” on Wednesday.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens became physically aggressive during a non-consensual sexual encounter with his hairdresser, the woman told lawmakers, according to a report released Wednesday by a state House committee. The woman alleges that Greitens threatened to release a partially nude photo he had taken of her if she ever discussed what had happened publicly. The report, which deemed her testimony to be credible, says Greteins “spanked, slapped, grabbed, shoved and called her derogatory names” during multiple encounters in 2015, according to the Associated Press. During a March 2015 encounter, the woman said she was coerced into giving Greteins oral sex while she cried “uncontrollably,” The Kansas City Star reports. She also accused him of hitting her three times, according to the report. Greteins, 44, has previously denied blackmailing the woman and insisted it was nothing more than a consensual affair. The Republican governor was indicted last month, and the House committee opened an investigation into allegations he had taken a nude photograph of the hairdresser without her consent. Just an hour before the release of the committee’s report, Greitens decried the allegations as a “political witch hunt” and said he expected the report to be full of “false, outlandish, salacious accusations” equivalent to “one-sided, tabloid trash gossip.” Greitens is facing a felony invasion of privacy charge.