The ex-wife of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens alleged in court documents Monday that the GOP Senate candidate abused her and their young son while they were married, including knocking her down and confiscating her cellphone, wallet and keys, multiple sources reported.
In an affidavit for a custody case in Boone County, Sheena Greitens stated she was the victim of domestic violence while married to him for nearly a decade.
Greitens, 47, a former Navy SEAL and Missouri's first Jewish governor, had considered a presidential run prior to a 2018 sex scandal that led to his resignation. The Greitens’ marriage collapsed following the scandal, in which he was accused of taking a compromising photo of his hairdresser without her consent when they were involved in an extramarital affair in 2015. Charges in that case were eventually dropped.
Later that year, Greitens faced a second felony charge in St. Louis, where he was accused of providing his political fundraiser with the donor list of his veterans’ charity.
In 2015, when he first rolled out what would be a successful run for the 2016 gubernatorial race, Greitens told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that his outlook was shaped by his Jewish upbringing. He cited his volunteer work with the homeless and with victims of war crimes as examples.
Further claims from Sheena's recent allegations state that Greitens threatened to use his political connections and influence to ruin her reputation and gain custody of their two children after their divorce was finalized in 2020.
Last year, the Missouri Ethics Commission cleared him personally of any wrongdoing – despite finding probable cause that his campaign broke campaign finance law.
Once considered a moderate, Greitens aligned himself with former President Donald Trump.
In March 2021, with his name cleared, the once-rising Republican star announced that he would run for the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican Roy Blunt, who is retiring this year.