Missouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens’ (R) ex-wife said her husband knocked her down, took her cellphone and keys, and abused their children physically, according to a report.
The Washington Post reported Sheena Greitens accused her husband of repeatedly threatening suicide if she did not come out and publicly support him during a scandal in 2018 that led him to resign as governor.
She said in a filing Monday obtained from Boone County Circuit Court, “In early June 2018, I became afraid for my safety and that of our children at our home, which was fairly isolated, due to Eric’s unstable and coercive behavior.”
Sheena Greitens added, “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 the hair.”
She explained her husband later spoke with her mother about the incident where he knocked her down and took her cellphone and keys.
“When my mother later confronted him about this, he told her that he did so to prevent me from doing anything that might damage his political career,” Sheena Greitens said in the filing.
According to Sheena Greitens, one of her children returned from a visit with her husband in November 2019 “with a swollen face, bleeding gums, and a loose tooth.”
She continued, “He said Dad had hit him; however, Eric said they were roughhousing and it had been an accident.”
Eric Greitens’ campaign manager Dylan Johnson claimed his wife is emotionally abusive and launching “what is clearly a politically-motivated attack against him,” as the Post reported.
Johnson said Eric Greitens is filing for full custody of his children.
He added, “This attack is nothing more than a sad attempt to force a father to yield custody of his children to a deranged individual.”
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt commented on the allegations in a tweet. Schmitt is among the candidates Greitens is running against to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
“These allegations of abuse are disgusting and sickening. As Missouri’s attorney general, I know a predator when I see one, and I have fought for victims every step of the way,” Schmitt said.
He added, “The behavior described in this affidavit is cause for Eric Greitens to be in prison, not on the ballot for U.S. Senate. He should end his campaign immediately.”
The behavior described in this affidavit is cause for Eric Greitens to be in prison, not on the ballot for U.S. Senate. He should end his campaign immediately. 2/2 #MOSen
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) March 21, 2022
The Post noted the couple divorced in March 2020. The marriage came to an end after allegations surfaced that Eric Greitens took a picture of a blindfolded, bound, and undressed woman he was having an affair with. He then threatened to blackmail her with it.
According to the outlet, Eric Greitens admitted to having an affair with her, but denied taking the picture.
