U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill - a former Jackson County prosecutor - supports the Missouri House of Representatives' efforts to investigate the situation surrounding Gov. Eric Greitens, but she is unhappy with so many people commenting on the court case against him.
McCaskill was asked about the governor's case during a Thursday telephone conference call.
"I think the House of Representatives certainly has the right to investigate this, as members of the Legislature," she told reporters. "And people have the right to express their opinion. But I'm not comfortable expressing an opinion when there's a criminal case pending - and I think that many members of that committee must feel the same way, because I think they're saying we need to tend to our duties of investigating and let the facts speak for themselves."
She added: "I haven't noticed (state Rep.) Jay Barnes or any of the (other) people appointed to that committee popping off. I've noticed that the governor's hired a lobbyist and I've noticed that his lawyers are on the radio, trying to diminish the case against him - not in a courtroom but rather over the airwaves."
A St. Louis grand jury last week indicted Greitens for felony invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a picture of his hairdresser - with whom he was having an affair - without her permission and while she was blindfolded and at least partially nude, then making that picture available to a computer.
The incident, in March 2015, was before Greitens began his campaign to become governor.
Greitens publicly has admitted to the affair, but not to having taken any picture.
In his initial statement after the indictment was publicized, Greitens, a Republican, called the grand jury's indictment a "disappointing and misguided political decision" and accused St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, of being "a reckless liberal prosecutor who uses her office to score political points."
McCaskill told reporters Thursday: "I was trained as a young assistant prosecutor that, when a criminal case is pending, you keep your mouth shut - that the evidence has to speak for itself and no one should try to twist it or distort it. I will say I'm disappointed at how much the court of public opinion is trying to be manipulated around this case by some of the folks working for the governor.
"I think everybody should be quiet until this case is heard."
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican who filed Tuesday to challenge McCaskill for the U.S. Senate seat, agreed.
"A criminal felony indictment by a grand jury is a serious matter," he told reporters and political supporters Tuesday. "The criminal justice system here in our state needs to be allowed to proceed without regard to party or to partisanship, and without party or partisan interference. The House needs to conduct its investigation in a thorough and timely fashion - which I am sure they are going to do - and it also needs to proceed without regard to party or to partisanship."
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt did not respond to a request for a comment for this story.