KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday said he believed allegations of domestic abuse against former Gov. Eric Greitens, but stopped short of calling on him to drop out of the U.S. Senate race.
The allegations, made by Greiten's ex-wife Sheena Greitens last week in an affidavit filed as part of an ongoing child custody dispute, accused the former governor of hitting their then 3-year-old across the face, yanking him by his hair and knocking her down.
Greitens had been previously accused of blackmailing and sexually assaulting his former hairdresser in 2018.
"I have no reason to doubt Sheena Greitens on what she said," Parson told reporters Wednesday afternoon. "If she filled that out and she signed it, to an official affidavit, until it's proven different, I think that's her affidavit."
Parson, however, side-stepped questions about whether Greitens should drop out of the race and whether he would endorse and vote for Greitens in his bid for U.S. Senate.
"I hope people do their homework and understand how serious this issue is and they'll have to make those choices of what to do," he said.
Asked about supporting Greitens if he receives the Republican nomination for Senate, Parson said, "We'll see what that all comes about, the day it comes."
Parson's comments are similar to those made by national Republicans, who are largely staying out of the race to avoid fueling Greitens' anti-establishment campaign narrative.
Already, Greitens has accused longtime Republican political operative Karl Rove of orchestrating Sheena Greitens' allegations as a political hit job, without significant evidence to back up his claims. They have also accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of involvement, citing a connection between Sheena Greitens' sister and Phil Cox, a Republican operative who has been supportive of McConnell in the past.
Sheena Greitens — and Greitens' ex-hairdresser in 2018 — made their allegations under sworn testimony. While Greitens has denied their claims, he has never done so under oath.
While national Republicans have generally avoided comment, Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley have called on him to drop out, along with all of the major candidates who are running for U.S. Senate.
After initially staying quiet about the allegations, members of the Missouri Republican Party have started to speak out.
Pat Thomas, the treasurer of the Missouri Republican Party, on Wednesday urged Missourians to "say no" to Greitens. Earlier this week, Kay Hoflander, a former chairwoman of the Missouri Republican Party, said she found the allegations against Greitens "disturbing on both personal and professional levels" and called on him to get out of the race.
Republicans have openly expressed concern that Greitens could win a crowded Republican primary and jeopardize their ability to hold U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt's seat in Congress.
Seeing an opportunity should Greitens get through to a general election, Trudy Busch Valentine, an heir to the Anheuser-Busch fortune, jumped into the Democratic primary this week. Her candidacy pushed former state Sen. Scott Sifton out of the race, saying he felt Democrats needed to unite behind one candidate.
But while polls had shown Greitens as the frontrunner leading up to the allegations, a poll released by the Trafalgar Group found that Greitens had fallen slightly behind U.S Rep. Vicky Hartzler in the polls, with 24.9% for Hartzler and 24.3% for Greitens. The poll also found that 16.3% of Republicans remain undecided.
