The ex-wife of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens alleged in court docket paperwork Monday that the GOP Senate candidate abused her and their younger son whereas they had been married, together with knocking her down and confiscating her cellphone.
In an affidavit for a custody case in Boone County, Mo., Sheena Greitens stated she was the sufferer of domestic violence whereas married to Eric Greitens for nearly a decade.
“Prior to our divorce, during an argument in late April 2018, Eric knocked me down and confiscated my cell phone, wallet and keys so that I was unable to call for help or extricate myself and our children from our home,” she said in the court filing, accusing the former Navy SEAL of “unstable and coercive behavior.”
“This behavior included physical violence toward our children, such as cuffing our then three-year-old son across the face at the dinner table in front of me and yanking him around by his hair,” she alleged within the submitting, which was obtained by NBC News and KOMU, NBC’s St. Louis affiliate.
Her submitting was first reported by the Associated Press.
Eric Greitens referred to as the allegations “fabricated” and “baseless.”
“I am seeking full custody of my sons, and for their sake, I will continue to pray for their mother and hope that she gets the help that she needs,” he tweeted Monday.
His lawyer, Gary Stamper, referred to as the accusations false, “inflammatory and scurrilous” in a court docket submitting demanding the affidavit be saved out of public view.
“Public disclosure of the Petitioner’s allegations — that are as yet unproven — will irreparably harm (Greitens’) candidacy,” Stamper stated in a submitting.
Vicky Hartzler, a GOP rival who can also be looking for the get together’s nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Roy Blunt, referred to as on Greitens to exit the race.
“Real men never abuse women. Period,” she stated in a press release Monday. “It’s time for Eric to get out of the Senate race and to get professional help.”
Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce retweeted Hartzler’s assertion, and stated, “I agree.”
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican who’s additionally working for the open Senate seat, referred to as the allegations in opposition to Greitens “disgusting and sickening.”
“He should end his campaign immediately,” Schmitt stated.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., additionally demanded Greitens drop out. “If you hit a woman or a child, you belong in handcuffs, not the United States Senate. It’s time for Eric Greitens to leave this race,” Hawley tweeted.
Missouri’s main is scheduled for Aug. 2.
As a former governor with robust title recognition, Greitens has been seen as one of the main candidates within the Republican main, regardless of resigning in 2018 amid a sexual misconduct scandal and a marketing campaign finance felony cost that was later dropped.
He acquired a lift final week when former President Donald Trump instructed the Washington Examiner he was contemplating endorsing Greitens.
Last yr, Trump endorsed Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sean Parnell, who later dropped out after a choose dominated in opposition to him in a custody case the place his estranged spouse alleged he had been abusive to her and their youngsters. Parnell denied the allegations, however stated he was ending his marketing campaign to give attention to his youngsters.
Greitens gave no indication Monday that he would finish his Senate bid.
Campaign supervisor Dylan Johnson referred to as Sheena Greitens “deranged” and stated her “politically motivated” allegations had been “outright lies.”
A lawyer for Sheena Greitens didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Greitens admitted in 2018 that he had an affair together with his hairstylist earlier than his marketing campaign for governor, forward of an area news report detailing the allegations. He was later indicted on an invasion-of-privacy cost for allegedly taking a compromising photograph of the hairstylist with out her consent. The case was dropped after the image could not be discovered.
In her affidavit, Sheena Greitens stated her ex husband acknowledged snapping the photograph of the hair stylist.
“Eric’s behavior also included threats in order to coerce me to do or to refrain from doing or saying certain things. After Eric admitted to me in late January 2021 that he had taken the photo that resulted in the invasion of privacy charge, he threatened that I would be exposed to legal jeopardy if I ever disclosed that fact to anyone, even family members or a therapist,” the affidavit stated.
She additionally steered the explanation she stood by him when the affair grew to become public was as a result of her then-husband pressured her to take action.
“In the spring and early summer time of 2018, Eric repeatedly threatened to kill himself until I supplied particular public political help to him; a number of folks apart from myself had been apprehensive sufficient to intervene to restrict Eric’s entry to firearms on no less than three separate events,” she wrote.
The affidavit was part of a court filing where Sheena Greitens is seeking to have the custody case transferred to Texas, where she works and has lived with their two young kids for almost two years.
“I firmly imagine the state of Texas is healthier located to guard me and/or our kids,” she wrote.