The second felony charge against Gov. Eric Greitens _ the one for tampering with a computer isnt as explosive as the one for allegedly taking a photograph of his semi-nude hairdresser. But it could be easier to prove and could shed some much-needed light on how a political newcomer managed to raise so much cash so quickly for his 2016 election campaign.
The public airing of these details would be a major service to Missourians. Greitens claims to be working for the people of Missouri, but the people of Missouri are being kept in the dark about whos paying the freight.
All of this started with seed money provided early in his campaign by donors who had previously given money to The Mission Continues, the veterans charity Greitens founded in 2007. An Associated Press investigation has found that, of the more than $525,000 he raised during an initial two-month period in 2015, about 85 percent of it came from donors who previously gave to The Mission Continues.
On Friday, acting on information provided by Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner charged Greitens with tampering with a computer, a felony. The charge stems from the Greitens campaigns acquisition of The Mission Continues donor list. The following month he launched an exploratory committee for a gubernatorial bid.
Those early donors jump-started his successful primary campaign against three better-known Republican opponents. As the primary campaign built up steam during 2016, nearly $6 million in untraceable dark money poured in. After winning the general election, Greitens staffers formed their own dark-money committee called A New Missouri to pay for inauguration expenses and ongoing political operations.
Donors to The Mission Continues eventually wound up giving Greitens $2 million, but it was that $525,000 in early money that got the ball rolling. At first Greitens denied using the charitys list to raise money, but in April 2017 he signed a consent decree to settle a complaint by the Missouri Ethics Commission of failing to disclose the list as an in-kind campaign contribution.
A larger problem is that donations to charities like The Mission Continues are tax-deductible, the idea being that they serve a public good. In return, charities cannot engage in political activities. By using the donor list without permission, Greitens cast a big shadow on the charity he founded.
After Greitens was charged Friday, Ed Dowd, one of his lawyers, made a curious claim: Eric made The Mission Continues. He raised millions of dollars for it. … Now hes being accused of stealing an email list from an organization he built? Give me a break.
Yes, Greitens built The Mission Continues. He may have felt entitled to loot its donor list. His feelings of entitlement are a big part of his problems.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
