On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann break down all of the developments in the legal and political saga of Gov. Eric Greitens.
This week’s episode zeroes in on St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison’s decision to have a jury, rather than himself, decide whether Greitens is guilty of felony invasion of privacy.
In the past couple of weeks, Gov. Eric Greitens asked for his felony invasion of privacy trial to be decided by a judge, not a jury. Greitens' team also wanted one of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s attorneys to be bounced — and for the entire case be thrown out. Burlison gave his answer on Monday: no, to all three requests.
More: Jury will hear felony trial of Gov. Greitens
Other topics on this week’s show include:
- Whether Greitens is helped or hurt by a jury trial, especially since St. Louis has voted traditionally for Democratic candidates.
- Questions about whether Burlison can be impartial in the case, since his former boss, Gov. Jay Nixon, belongs to a law firm that employs two of Greitens’ attorneys.
- How Greitens’ campaign just released radio ads claiming that liberals are “hell-bent” on stopping the governor’s agenda. That feeds into the narrative that Greitens’ allies are floating that he’s been besieged by left-of-center enemies, even though the governor’s loudest critics have been Republicans.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Jo on Twitter: @jmannies
Follow Rachel Twitter: @rlippmann