Guest post by Eugene G. Bernat

The Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) absolved former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens of any wrongdoing in an order on February 13, 2020.

A number of mainstream Missouri media sources which trumpeted false allegations against the Governor for months, remain in denial over his exoneration.

The Kansas City Star‘s Editorial Board, in particular, has stooped below fake news to outright defamation.

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FAKE NEWS: The Kansas City Star wrote, “[i]n a [February 13] Facebook post seething with grievance and implied threats of revenge, Greitens parroted the tiresome language of our times…”

FACT: Meanwhile, Greitens actually wrote, “[m]any people have asked about revenge. That’s not what we need. Revenge is about the past. Justice is about the future And, I’ll tell you, the future is bright.” Greitens had also stated his opposition to revenge in his resignation speech, “[f]or those who would be moved to vengeance, let us allow history and God to bring justice. We must, as we have always done, work to improve the lives of those around us.”

FAKE NEWS: The Kansas City Star wrote, “[t]he devil in the details; The commission interviewed no firsthand witnesses about whether Greitens solicited or directed the donations personally.”

FACT: The Kansas City Star is lying. The MEC made no such statement, nor did the MEC’s report provide any evidence from which that conclusion could reasonably be drawn. On the contrary, the MEC wrote Greitens, “cooperated with the MEC’s investigation, producing thousands of pages of documents and every employee, former employee, or consultant the Commission sought to interview.” The MEC’s investigation included “the issuance of 23 subpoenas, which resulted in the production of roughly 8,000 multi-page documents, emails, and videos; [and] approximately 20 interviews conducted by Commission investigators.” The MEC’s investigation included a review of records of Federal Election Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Communication Commission. And, in fact, the MEC did interview many firsthand witnesses, and not a single one of them provided any evidence that Greitens engaged in any wrongdoing.

FAKE NEWS: The Kansas City Star wrote, “[h]is resignation in a pique of unrepentant self-pity and recrimination was part of a plea deal that ostensibly put behind him disturbing allegations that he tied up the woman who testified under oath about violence and sexual misconduct that most Missourians would prefer not to revisit.”

FACT: There was never a plea deal. And the Kansas City Star’s reckless and defamatory repetition of this lie, provides serious ground for Greitens to sue.

On February 22, 2018, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner indicted Greitens for invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a nude or partially nude photo of Katrina Sneed with whom he had previously had an extramarital affair. It turns out, the entire story was a complete fabrication. On May 14, 2018, during jury selection Gardner dismissed the invasion of privacy charge.

A forensic examination of Greitens’ iPhone, allegedly used to take the alleged photo, failed to produce the alleged photo and there was no evidence of the alleged photo’s deletion. A search of Greitens’ iCloud and Google accounts failed to produce the alleged photo and there was no evidence of the alleged photo’s deletion. There was no evidence of the alleged photo’s existence or what the alleged photo may have depicted.

Katrina Sneed had also provided misleading and completely false testimony under oath on multiple occasions regarding her interactions with Greitens.

A special prosecutor, Gerard Carmody, was appointed to investigate potential criminal conduct by Gardner and her handpicked private investigator William Tisaby. Tisaby has been indicted on six counts of perjury and one count of evidence tampering. If convicted on all counts, Tisaby faces a maximum of 46 years in prison. Tisaby’s trial is set to begin March 30, 2020. Gardner remains under criminal investigation.

The Kansas City Star has reported on numerous occasions that Greitens accepted a plea deal, which is simply not true. The Kansas City Star’s reckless abandonment of ethical journalism in favor of fake news is, in this case, actionable defamation, even for a public figure. Greitens would have a very strong case should he choose to pursue a defamation lawsuit against The Kansas City Star.

If The Kansas City Star did not know there was no plea deal, it is criminally negligent. If they did know—it is simply criminal.

Missourians do not have a trustworthy mainstream news source and The Kansas City Star is one culprit of many. For now, The Kansas City Star Editorial Board serves as yet another example of why people increasingly distrust the mainstream press and increasingly view it as only fake news.