The judge presiding over the Gov. Eric Greitens’ trial for invasion of privacy denied the defense team’s request to move the trial up by more than a month.
The defense team for the governor hoped to have the case held in two weeks on April 3, rather than the original hearing scheduled for May 14 before Circuit Judge Rex Burlison.
On Wednesday, Burlison denied the defense team stating that he would not change the trial setting based on an advantage or disadvantage.
Burlison was referencing the Missouri House committee’s investigation results that is expected to be released by April 9.
The Republican governor was indicted on a first-degree felony invasion of privacy charge for an incident that took place on March 21, 2015 in the City of St. Louis.
The charge is related to the affair the governor admitted to having in 2015, in which he allegedly took a picture of a bound and partially nude woman with whom he was having an affair with at the time and threatened to blackmail her if she made the affair public.
When asked on Monday why the defense team wanted to move up the date, Lawyer Edward Dowd stated they wanted the opportunity to clear the air regarding allegations of the governor.
“Because the governor is innocent and he has the total right to his day in court,” Dowd said. “There are a lot of false allegations out there and we want to get in court and prove it.”
Dowd stated outside the courthouse on Monday that Greitens is a tough person and while this case is taking place, he’s still running the state of Missouri as its governor.
“It’s incredible for him to have to go through this over a three-year-old personal mistake and he is a tough guy,” he said. “He’s a Road Scholar, he’s a Navy SEAL and he’s hanging in there and trying the best he can to run this state. He’s got a great attitude and he’s ready to go.”