Kimberling City Republican: It's hard to support the governor when he calls a report tabloid gossip a half hour before it is even released

(From Rep. Don Phillips, R-Kimberling City)

House Special Investigative Committee Report Released

On Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 p.m., the report from the Special Investigative Committee on Oversight was released. At 6:00 p.m., Speaker Todd Richardson held a press conference to make a statement and give insight into future actions of the committee.

Here’s My Take On It…

On Thursday, I sent out a press release to respond on behalf of the committee to the comments given by the Governor during his press conference at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The release basically said our work was done diligently and the report was credible and accurate based on witness testimony.

I’ve been a State Representative for eight years and I’ve repeatedly had opportunities to see a leader like our Speaker of the House, Todd Richardson, in action. Speaker Richardson has a reputation for being a very honest, moral and trustworthy man that makes decisions for the right reasons. He has a great track record. 

In contrast, Governor Greitens is correct to label himself as an “outsider” because more and more, he is becoming one as he alienates his dwindling list of supporters. 

His track record started before he became Governor with the extramarital affair. After he became Governor, however, he’s now being investigated for misuse of campaign funds by the Attorney General’s office. He was also investigated by the Attorney General for using “Confide,” a text messaging application that automatically erases the message once the receiver has read it. Plus, there’s the lack of transparency with the so called, “dark money” which is apparently a huge pot of gold in the Governor’s campaign funds with no way of seeing who the donors are. 

When the Governor was first elected, he criticized all the politicians as being corrupt and vowed to clean up Jefferson City. He didn’t win over many friends. I make no secret that I was one of nine out of 197 legislators to back Mr. Greitens while he was running for Governor. I’ve remained loyal to him throughout the accusations concerning the sexual misconduct that occurred prior to him being Governor. However, it’s hard to stick with a guy that calls the contents of the Special Investigative Committee, “one-sided tabloid trash gossip.” He gave that statement at approximately 4:30 at a news conference on Wednesday; a half hour before the report was even released! That’s concerning in itself! 

If his former mistress lied to the investigative committee, under oath, then she has an extraordinary imagination and she should be sued for character assassination.  

His former mistress told the committee, she never went public with her story because she was embarrassed by it (for herself and for her children). It wasn’t until her now ex-husband released a recording of a conversation he taped without her knowledge, that the story ever became public. Her ex-husband is being compensated thousands of dollars (in a trust fund) for the release of the taped conversation!

To read the Special Investigative Committee on Oversight’s report as well as the complete transcripts from the hearings and committee discussions while on record, go towww.house.mo.gov. The link is in the center of the homepage.

 What Happens Going Forward

There’s a couple of options and one would be to start an impeachment process immediately. The other option, which is what the House leadership has announced, is to wait until the end of session (to allow the legislative process to proceed without more distractions) and then vote to have a special session with consideration of impeachment. It would take a 75% vote of the House of Representatives to call ourselves into special session; it’s doubtful the votes are there to do that right now. 

Frankly, the Governor is in a defensive, desperate mode, lashing out at anyone that doesn’t support his statements. The principle question becomes, does he have the working relationship with the legislature necessary to function as expected in his position as Governor? Or, has that been fractured to the point of no return? A huge political bridge has been burned. He’s quickly becoming a man on a political island.