Impeached for what, specifcally?

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Originally posted by parabellum:
Impeached for what, specifcally?

Impeachment is as much or more a political act as it is a legal act.

Article VII, Section 1 of the Missouri state constitution lays out the guidelines for impeachment:
“All elective executive officials of the state, and judges of the supreme court, courts of appeals and circuit courts shall be liable to impeachment for crimes, misconduct, habitual drunkenness, willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, incompetency, or any offense involving moral turpitude or oppression in office.”

I'm still waiting to hear of some actual reason for this.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Impeached for what, specifcally?

The prime reason I've read has to do with the second felony charge Greitens is facing. It's related to a list of donors to a charity the governor founded and supposedly involves misusing or tampering with computer data related to the list in some way.

The governor's legal team is now claiming that a former member of his campaign staff stole the list and provided it to one of his former GOP opponents when he ran for governor. Greitens' lawyers are currently arguing with the members of the legislative committee investigating this charge about gaining access to witnesses in order to be able to examine those witnesses but are reportedly being told that that privilege is reserved solely for members of the committee.

Some will likely speak of his "moral turpitude" and some of "crimes or misconduct" with regard to his fundraising, particularly "stealing" the Mission Continues donor list.

But, really, what it comes down to is the Lt. Gov. (who has the most to gain) smells blood in the water and Eric Greitens doesn't seem to have any friends left in Jefferson City.

Embattled Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens bracing for impeachment proceedings

May 18, 2018

The scandal-plagued saga that has surrounded Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ tenure is about to enter a new chapter.

At 6:30 p.m. Friday, legislators at the state capitol in Jefferson City will call to order a special 30-day session to begin impeachment proceedings against the embattled head of the Show-Me State. But expect the impeachment process to be slow, complicated and meticulous.

After Friday night’s official beginning, state house members will meet next week for a series of hearings expected to last several days.

A special investigative committee in the house has already released two ruinous reports against Greitens. The first details accusations made by a woman with whom he was having an affair. She said he threatened and mistreated her. The second report focuses on allegations that Greitens wrongfully obtained a charity donor list to fundraise for political purposes.

If articles of impeachment are approved in the house, the measure then moves to the state Senate. Legislators there will be charged with appointing a panel of seven judges to preside over an impeachment trial. That panel of judges is to be appointed before the end of the 30-day special session, but once seated, the panel can set its own timeframe for moving forward with the trial. At least five judges would have to find the governor guilty for him to be removed from office.

Article VII, Section 1 of the Missouri state constitution lays out the guidelines for impeachment: “All elective executive officials of the state, and judges of the supreme court, courts of appeals and circuit courts shall be liable to impeachment for crimes, misconduct, habitual drunkenness, willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, incompetency, or any offense involving moral turpitude or oppression in office.”

Former Missouri Supreme Court Judge and Chief Justice Michael Wolff, who is now dean emeritus at the St. Louis University School of Law, has been closely following the avalanche of complex problems that Greitens is facing.

“If there is an impeachment trial, it may well focus on the dark money issues, and misleading statements allegedly made to the state ethics commission since he’s been governor," Wolff said. "I assume he would testify, but I could be very wrong.”

Greitens has so far declined all invitations from state leaders to testify under oath.

He entered Jefferson City an outsider and rose to the position of governor promising reform while accusing politicians of corruption.

Now, the former Navy SEAL who was once seen as a rising star in the Republican Party has come to be defined by his political and legal woes.

Prosecutors in St. Louis this week dropped a felony invasion of privacy charge against Greitens just two days before opening arguments in the trial were set to begin.

In that case, a woman Greitens was having an affair with described a sexual encounter where she said he blindfolded and bound her, and then allegedly took a partially nude photo of her. She also claimed he threatened to release the photo if she told anyone.

Greitens admitted to having the affair with the woman, his former hairdresser, in 2015 before becoming governor, but maintained he did not commit any crimes.

Investigators never discovered the alleged picture, and when the judge handling the case approved a defense motion to call St. Louis County Attorney Kim Gardner as a witness during the trial, after allegations her office mishandled evidence, the case collapsed. Gardner vowed the charges would be refiled in the future and will be seeking a special prosecutor.

In a statement after the charge was dropped, a jubilant Greitens said in part, “This is a great victory and it has been a long time coming.”

But even if Greitens is never tried on the invasion of privacy charge, Wolff believes it has already left the governor with some deep, irreparable, political wounds.

“The invasion of privacy indictment was very damaging," Wolff said. "When the house special investigation committee gathered evidence and released this report on the invasion of privacy charge on April 11, the governor lost most of his support among Republicans in the legislature.”

Shortly after Greitens’ statement on the charge being dropped, the former chairman of the Missouri GOP responded in a tweet, “If you win Game 1 of the World Series because your opponent commits 5 errors, I would not recommend ordering Championship rings from the jeweler just yet…”

In fact, Greitens' legal battles are far from over. In a separate criminal case, Greitens has been charged with felony computer tampering for allegedly improperly obtaining a list of donors from his former charity to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign.

Greitens is also accused in a lawsuit of using the encrypted messaging app Confide -- which erases messages after they are read -- to discuss state business, possibly circumventing the state’s open records laws.

Impeachment of governors is rare -- just three in the last 90 years -- but not unprecedented. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached in 2009, Arizona’s Gov. Evan Meacham in 1988 and Oklahoma’s Gov. Henry S. Johnston in 1929.

As Missouri legislators now turn the page to begin the impeachment process, taking the next steps to remove Greitens, it remains unclear how this real-life political suspense novel will end.

“I am one of the few who believes that he might survive this ordeal and remain governor,” Wolff said.

The blaring calls for his resignation are only growing louder, but Greitens remains defiant.

Soon, he may not have a choice in the matter.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/emba...gs/story?id=55243448

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In fact, Greitens' legal battles are far from over. In a separate criminal case, Greitens has been charged with felony computer tampering for allegedly improperly obtaining a list of donors from his former charity to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign.

Well, the charge involving Greitens using the charity donor list for campaign funding was declined by the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney:

Cole County PA Decides NOT To Prosecute Greitens

Link


Cole County prosecutor declines to pursue case against Greitens


The Cole County prosecutor announced Friday he will not pursue a criminal case involving Gov. Eric Greitens' use of his ex-charity’s donor list for his 2016 political campaign.

In a three sentence explanation posted to his website, Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson confirmed that his office reviewed information provided in April by Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley’s office about Hawley’s probe into the embattled governor’s use of a fundraising list from The Mission Continues.

“After due consideration, I have decided not to file the criminal charge suggested by the AGO. My office has no further comment on this matter,” Richardson said.

Hawley launched an investigation of Greitens in February after a Post-Dispatch report revealed that Greitens' may have filed a false campaign fundraising report, which is a Class A misdemeanor.

Hawley spokeswoman Mary Compton said the attorney general stands by his belief that a crime may have been committed.

"Prosecuting Attorneys have the discretion whether to pursue criminal charges, but this office stands by its determination that the information provided supports a determination of probable cause," Compton said.

Richardson's wife works for state Rep. Bill White, a Joplin Republican who has not called on Greitens to resign. In late April, White's wife, Dr. Margaret "Ellen" Nichols received an appointment from Greitens to the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts.

The position does not pay a salary, save for a $50 per diem for each day members devote to the work of the board.

Earlier this month, White said it was insulting to even ask about whether Richardson has a conflict of interest in this case.

"No," White said. "Your question impugns the integrity of individuals" and is "totally inappropriate."

Richardson's wife, Rejina Richardson, similarly said "no" when asked if her husband had a conflict of interest.

Richardson's announcement came just hours before Missouri lawmakers open a special session to consider the possible impeachment of the Republican governor.

Among the evidence under review by a special House committee is Greitens’ use of the fundraising list. The panel also is reviewing his use of so-called “shell companies” to conceal the identity of donors.

House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City, was critical of Richardson's decision.

“Two years ago, Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson aggressively prosecuted a group of elderly black pastors for singing hymns in the Senate. Today, he announced that he can’t be bothered to pursue charges against a Republican governor accused of actual crimes. Mr. Richardson clearly has difficulty assessing threats to the integrity of state government," she said in a statement.

OK, so, what's left? Is he a poopy head?

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Originally posted by parabellum:
OK, so, what's left? Is he a poopy head?

That is pretty much it as far as the case against the governor that the the swamp dwelling Repubes (they definitely aren't republicans) and dimocraps in the state capital have left. There will be lots of harsh language and stinging insults.

The insider Repubes have been against Greitens from the start........hmmmm, where have I heard a similar thing happening to an elected official??????

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There will lots of harsh language and stinging insults.

Don't leave out the wailing and gnashing of teeth.

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Originally posted by chellim1:

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There will lots of harsh language and stinging insults.

Don't leave out the wailing and gnashing of teeth.

I also forgot the stomping of feet and obligatory bible thumping.......lots and lots of bible thumping.

The cole County charge was for lying to the Missouri Ethics Commission under oath. He declined to pursue that. The felony stealing of the list charge is still pending in STL via recommendation of the AG. Two different alleged crimes.

COLE COUNTY, Mo. -- A Missouri prosecutor says he won't be filing any charges against Gov. Eric Greitens related to a campaign finance report about his use of a charity donor list.

OK, so, back to just poopy head, are we?

This is some stupid shit.

Being a poopy head is a very serious charge. Don't forget Gov. Greitens went after Democratic Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal for advocating Trump's assassination. He wanted her removed from office for being a poopy head.

It seems being a poopy head over here is a capital offense.

There is the felony computer tampering/stealing charge that the incompetent hopelessly tainted St. Louis City Prosecutor Kim "I Don't Know Shit About Criminal Trials" Gardner has against Greitens. Even if she appoints a special prosecutor now, she has tainted the case so badly, it would be a toss up if a judge ever let go to trial......and she will still be called as a witness by the defense.

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There is the felony computer tampering/stealing charge that the incompetent hopelessly tainted St. Louis City Prosecutor Kim "I Don't Know Shit About Criminal Trials" Gardner has against Greitens

And it's possible she will have her own issues to deal with. Remember when she threw the St. Louis Police Chief under the bus at the beginning of all of this? She told everybody that she went to the police first and they declined to investigate. It turned out she never did and the Chief wasn't too happy about her lies.

You see, the police are supposed to have the first opportunity to investigate criminal acts that occur in their jurisdiction. For example:

http://fox2now.com/2018/05/15/...ardner-investigator/

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ST. LOUIS – An attorney on Missouri Governor Eric Greitens’ legal team is filing a police report against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and her investigator in the Greitens case, William Tisaby, for alleged misconduct and perjury.

Ordinarily I wouldn't hold my breath on anything coming from this, but due to her previous actions the Chief may end up giving her some extra attention.

http://fox2now.com/2018/05/16/...-perjury-complaints/

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ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said Wednesday his department would "thoroughly investigate perjury complaints against the private investigator hired by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office in the Governor Eric Greitens case.

This like one of those games at county fairs, where some schmoe sits on a seat above a dunk tank while people pay a couple of bucks to take a shot at dunking them.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
This like one of those games at county fairs, where some schmoe sits on a seat above a dunk tank while people pay a couple of bucks to take a shot at dunking them.

An excellent analogy that fully describes the Missouri State House and Senate but they won't be throwing balls, they will be throwing truly obscure and never enforced law books and bibles.

They are a bunch of carnival clowns from both parties.