In his first official act as Missouri's 56th governor, Eric Greitens banned gifts from lobbyists to executive branch state employees "for the first time in Missouri history."
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"We promised in this campaign that we were going to do the different, and we promised that we were going to clean up the culture of corruption in Jefferson City," Greitens reminded reporters crowded around his desk in the governor's office before sitting down to sign copies of his new executive order.
"This executive order sets a powerful example," he explained. "As governor, I'm always going to hold myself and my team to the highest possible standards.
Greitens' order also "slammed shut the revolving door between the governor's office and lobbyists - no one who's ever worked in my administration will ever lobby me, period," he said.
"This is a first and important step in cleaning up Jefferson City - and it's also an important step in taking Missouri in a new direction."
The three-page order lists eight provisions, including:
No state employee of the executive branch shall knowingly solicit or accept any gift from a lobbyist.
No governor's office employee shall, after the termination of his or her employment, act as an executive lobbyist during the Greitens administration.
No executive branch state employee shall participate in a proceeding or decision in which the employee's impartiality might reasonably be questioned, due to the employee's personal or financial relationship with a participant in the proceeding.
Any executive branch employee who violates the new order is subject to disciplinary action, up to termination of employment.
Greitens spent about two minutes signing several copies of the order Monday afternoon - then he and first lady Sheena Greitens left the office without taking any questions.