Missouri’s Beleaguered Governor Wants His Day in Court

Eric Greitens has been indicted by a St. Louis grand jury—but so far he has refused calls to resign.

Eric Greitens ran for governor of Missouri as a conservative outsider promising to shake things up in the Show Me State. Now the Jefferson City political establishment is showing the former Navy SEAL the door.

On Friday night Mr. Greitens was indicted by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner on charges related to his 2016 campaign. It is the second felony he has been charged with this year.

A cascade of Missouri’s most powerful Republican lawmakers have called on Mr. Greitens to resign or face immediate impeachment proceedings.

Mr. Greitens was indicted in February by a St. Louis grand jury on charges of felony invasion of privacy. His troubles began in January, with shocking allegations of sexual coercion and blackmail related to a 2015 extramarital affair with his former hairdresser.

The second indictment stems from an announcement this week by Missouri’s Republican attorney general, Josh Hawley, that his office had found evidence Mr. Greitens had committed “potentially criminal acts” during his 2016 campaign. The attorney general alleged that Mr. Greitens illegally obtained a list of donors from The Mission Continues, a veterans charity he founded after leaving the Navy.

Mr. Greitens has admitted the affair but denied the criminal allegations. “I will not be resigning the Governor’s office,” he tweeted Tuesday in response to the House leaders’ statement. “In three weeks, this matter will go to a court of law—where it belongs and where the facts will prove my innocence.”

Just 15 months into his first term, the 44-year-old governor believes he is being railroaded by political opponents and Ms. Gardner, whom he has called a “reckless liberal prosecutor.” He could be right.

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