A top Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat representing Missouri was physically abusive, his former wife said in court records made public on March 21.
Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens “knocked me down and confiscated my cell phone, wallet and keys so that I was unable to call for help or extricate myself and our children from our home,” Sheena Greitens wrote in one of the documents, entered as part of a child custody case in Boone County court.
“I became afraid for my safety and that of our children at our home,” Sheena Greitens said, adding later that her ex-husband’s behavior “included physical violence toward our children, such as cuffing our then-3-year-old son across the face at the dinner table in front of me and yanking him around by his hair.”
The alleged argument took place in April 2018 before the divorce.
Eric Greitens’ campaign decried the accusations.
“Eric Greitens is a great Dad, who was married to a woman with a documented history of mental illness and emotionally-abusive behavior,” the campaign told The Epoch Times in an email, adding that the filing was part of a “politically-motivated attack” and that Eric Greitens has maintained and will maintain custody of their children.
An attorney representing Sheena Greitens did not respond to requests for comment. A query sent to her workplace wasn’t returned.
The U.S. Senate seat Eric Greitens is seeking is one of several that are poised to be open because of upcoming retirements. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate’s Republican leadership team, is stepping down at the end of the current term.
Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, left the governor’s mansion in 2018 after being accused of taking a compromising photo of his hairstylist without her consent during an extramarital affair and campaign finance improprieties.
The charges against Greitens, a former Democrat, were eventually dropped.
Sheena Greitens said in the affidavit that her former husband bought a gun but wouldn’t tell her where it was and threatened to kill himself unless she publicly supported him amid the turmoil. She also alleged a plot to accuse her of child abuse unless she deleted certain emails and convinced a family therapist to delete them as well.
The accusations were outlined in a request to the court to shift the proceedings to Texas, where Sheena Greitens now lives.
Several rivals quickly reacted to the newly released accusations.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) said in a video statement that “real men never abuse women and children,” adding: “It’s time for Eric get out of the Senate race, and get professional help.
“Eric Greitens doesn’t belong in the U.S. Senate—he belongs in prison. I’m the 13-year Marine veteran running to flip this seat and defeat that criminal for good,” Lucas Kunce, another military veteran, wrote on Twitter.
The primaries in the race are scheduled for Aug. 2.
