The Latest: Missouri House to subpoena political publisher

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the investigations of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (all times local):

7:45 p.m.

The chairman of a committee investigating Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens says the House will subpoena the owner of a political publication based in Jefferson City.

Republican Chairman Rep. Jay Barnes on Monday said the House would subpoena Missouri Times publisher Scott Faughn. Attorneys for the governor say Faughn delivered one of two $50,000 payments to an attorney who is representing the ex-husband of a woman who had an affair with Greitens.

Faughn said in an internet video Monday that he had hired attorney Al Watkins because he was working on a book about the 2016 gubernatorial campaign. Barnes says the House has subpoenaed Watkins.

Greitens faces a felony invasion-of-privacy charge over allegations that he took an unauthorized and compromising photo of the woman with whom he had an affair in 2015, before he was elected.

____

6:30 p.m.

The owner of a political publication based in Jefferson City says he hired a lawyer who's also representing the ex-husband of a woman who had an affair with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.

The Missouri Times publisher Scott Faughn in a live Twitter video Monday said he hired attorney Al Watkins because he's working on a book about the 2016 gubernatorial campaign.

Attorneys for Greitens say Faughn delivered one of two $50,000 payments to Watkins' law firm.

Watkins represents the ex-husband of a woman with whom Greitens says he had an affair. Watkins testified during a deposition Monday as part of a felony invasion of privacy case against Greitens. The Republican governor is accused of taking an unauthorized and compromising photo of a woman with whom he had an affair in 2015, before he was elected.

Faughn also said he previously obtained audio the ex-husband took of the woman detailing an encounter with Greitens. Faughn says he didn't share the audio with others.

____

6 p.m.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Eric Greitens says a new House report detailing allegations of sexual misconduct by the governor contains "more false information."

The report released Monday by a special legislative committee includes a transcript of an interview conducted by St. Louis prosecutors of a woman with whom Greitens' says he had a consensual affair.

The House committee says the interview supports the woman's separate testimony to the committee that Greitens' had coaxed or coerced her into an unwanted sexual encounter in 2015 that turned physically aggressive. The committee report says Greitens has mischaracterized the women's interview by suggesting it somehow undermined her other testimony.

Maria Jeffrey, a spokeswoman for Greitens' legal defense team, said the allegations made against the governor are false.

____

5:05 p.m.

An attorney for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says the owner of a political publication based in Jefferson City delivered one of the two $50,000 payments to the law firm representing the ex-husband of a woman who had an affair with the governor.

Attorney Al Watkins represents the ex-husband and testified during a deposition Monday as part of the invasion of privacy case against Greitens. The Republican governor is accused of taking an unauthorized and compromising photo of a woman with whom he had an affair in 2015, before he was elected.

Watkins did not return messages seeking comment. But during a hearing Monday in the midst of the deposition, defense attorney Jim Martin said Missouri Times owner Scott Faughn provided the first $50,000 payment to Watkins' law firm in January, just before Greitens admitted to the affair.

Missouri Times editor Rachael Herndon Dunn says Faughn would issue a statement later Monday.

Watkins has said he doesn't know who actually provided the money.

___

4:30 p.m.

A Missouri House committee says a video interview of a woman with whom Republican Gov. Eric Greitens had an affair supports her assertion of being coerced into sexual activity.

The House investigatory panel released a brief report Monday concluding Greitens mischaracterized the interview when he claimed it "undermined the narrative" of a previous report House report on the allegations.

In that original report, the woman testified in response to a question that Greitens had maybe coerced her into oral sex while she was crying in his St. Louis basement in March 2015.

Greitens said a separate video interview with St. Louis prosecutors showed that was false.

But the new House report says the woman said in that interview that Greitens was "coaxing" her "like a wounded little animal on the ground."

___

Noon

Missouri's attorney general is reviewing Republican Gov. Eric Greitens' social media use, but a Greitens spokesman says there's no basis to subject those accounts to the Sunshine law.

Attorney General Josh Hawley spokeswoman Mary Compton in a Monday statement said if a state employee operated social media accounts, the state Sunshine law might apply to some or all account records. That would mean they could be subject to public-records requests.

The Kansas City Star on Friday reported that it asked Hawley's office about emails that appear to show Greitens' spokesman Parker Briden's involvement in a draft post. The emails were written before the governor's office created official social media accounts.

Briden in response said the issue has already been settled. He noted that the attorney general previously chose not to take any action related to the governor's Facebook and Twitter use.

___

11:30 a.m.

With two weeks to go before Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is scheduled to go to trial on felony invasion of privacy, his attorneys are asking a judge to exclude testimony from the pivotal witness — the woman involved in an affair with him.

Greitens is accused of taking a partially-nude photo without the woman's permission in 2015, before he was elected. His trial begins May 14 in St. Louis.

Defense attorneys want the woman's testimony excluded because the private investigator who interviewed her, William Tisaby, refused to answer questions when he was deposed last week. Judge Rex Burlison did not rule Monday but set a hearing for May 7.

Greitens lawyers have accused Tisaby of perjury for lying in court about his investigation. The St. Louis circuit attorney's office acknowledges missteps by Tisaby but believes his actions haven't tainted the case.

Greitens faces a second, unrelated felony charge of computer tampering for allegedly using a charity donor list for political purposes.

___

11:10 a.m.

Missouri's attorney general is reviewing Republican Gov. Eric Greitens' social media use following questions about compliance with the Sunshine law.

Fellow Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley previously said that Greitens' Twitter and Facebook accounts are not public records. But attorney general spokeswoman Mary Compton in a Monday statement said the office opened an inquiry based on new information.

The Kansas City Star on Friday reported that it asked Hawley's office about emails that appear to show Greitens' spokesman's involvement in a draft post. The emails were written before the governor's office created official social media accounts.

Compton says if a state employee operated social media accounts, the state Sunshine law might apply to some or all account records.

St. Louis Public Radio first reported on the emails last year.