Investigators contacting lawmakers about Greitens as part of criminal inquiry | McClatchy Washington Bureau

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner has dispatched two investigators to the Missouri Capitol to ask questions about Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens as part of her probe into the Republican governor.

The investigators have reached out to multiple lawmakers, including Rep. Nate Walker, a Kirksville Republican and an early Greitens supporter. Walker was one of the lawmakers who called on the governor to resign after allegations that he took a nude photograph of a woman without her consent in an effort to keep her from speaking about an extramarital affair.

“They’re in investigative mode right now, and they’ve reached out to several people, it’s my understanding, throughout the Capitol,” Walker said. “They contacted my office. … I wasn’t there, but they contacted my office and wanted to set up an appointment to meet with me.”

Walker identified the investigators who reached out as Jack Foley and William Tisaby. Based on their LinkedIn pages, both men appear to be private investigators with FBI experience.

Foley did not answer questions when contacted by phone, saying he was in the middle of an interview. An hour later he referred all questions to Gardner’s office.

Gardner’s spokeswoman, Susan Ryan, confirmed in an email late Wednesday afternoon that the men are working on behalf of her office.

“I can confirm that Jack Foley and William Tisaby are among the investigators working on the Greitens matter with the Circuit Attorney,” Ryan said. “I can’t speak beyond that as this is an open investigation.”

Another lawmaker, Democratic Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal of University City, mentioned the investigators during a Senate debate Wednesday.　

“There are two in the building. They came to my office. I was in a meeting, though, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to them,” she said.　

Three other lawmakers also said they had been contacted but were not willing to give their names for the record.

Gardner, a former Democratic state lawmaker, began investigating the governor after the allegations about the 2015 affair were made public. Greitens has admitted to the affair but has denied the blackmail allegations.

However, during an interview with the Associated Press last month he would not definitively say whether he had taken the photo of the woman while she was blindfolded and bound.

Gardner’s office did not immediately say whether the decision to interview lawmakers meant that the investigation of the governor had expanded beyond the blackmail allegations.

The scandal has already been a major hit to the governor’s political clout.

While talking to reporters last week, Greitens said he had not been contacted by law enforcement officials.

“We have answered all of those questions and you know that the answer is no. You know the answer is no because you have seen that question answered multiple times,” he said.

Jim Bennett, Greitens’ attorney, said Wednesday that the governor’s team is “aware the circuit attorney has announced an investigation and believe any fair investigation will result in a conclusion that Gov. Greitens has committed no wrongdoing.”