Grand jury issues subpoenas to Greitens staff members, former campaign worker | The Kansas City Star

Members of Gov. Eric Greitens’ staff and at least one former staffer on his campaign have received subpoenas from the St. Louis grand jury investigating the governor, according to their attorneys.

Todd Graves said that his Kansas City-based firm, Graves Garrett, is representing some members of Greitens’ official staff. Graves is the chair of the Missouri Republican Party and brother of U.S. Rep. Sam Graves.

Graves confirmed that the staffers had received subpoenas.

Graves was picked by Greitens to lead the party. Rumors that he had joined Greitens’ legal team had circulated in Missouri political circles last week ahead of the governor's felony indictment.

Graves strongly denied that claim in an email the day before the indictment was handed down.

"Your source is not credible and is wrong. Keep that in mind next time they give you their insight on something," Graves said at the time.

On Thursday, Graves confirmed that his firm would be representing members of Greitens’ staff in the investigation.

“We represent some staff members,” Graves said. “We do not represent the governor.”

"I will not specify which staff members at this point or what day our firm was retained," Graves said in an additional email. "No tax dollars will be used. We will give more information later on payment.”

In the wake of the indictment, the state party, which Graves chairs, has attacked the credibility of the Democratic prosecutor leading the investigation.

Catherine Hanaway, a former speaker of the Missouri House and former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, confirmed on Thursday that her law firm represents a former member of Greitens’ campaign staff who had received a subpoena.

"Without disclosing who our client is, what I can tell you what he has in common with the other people who have received subpoenas: He is currently a state government employee who worked on the campaign," Hanaway said. "... They seem to have just dropped blanket subpoenas on the governor's office."

That former staffer, who is now a state employee, already has been interviewed by investigators, she said.

Hanaway was one of the candidates Greitens beat for the Republican nomination in 2016.

She said her firm, Husch Blackwell, has been retained by the Greitens campaign and is assisting people "to the extent that they need assistance."

None of the governor's current campaign staff has received a subpoena from the grand jury, she said.

She said that to the best of her knowledge, the campaign has not become a subject of the prosecuting attorney's investigation.

"No person that I have spoken to has been asked a question about the campaign and no subpoenas related to the campaign have been served and no one from the circuit attorney's office has made us aware in any way — nor any investigator or investigative authority has made us aware — that they are looking at the campaign," Hanaway said.

Later Thursday, The Star reported that former Greitens campaign staffer Michael Hafner was being questioned by the St. Louis prosecutor as part of its investigation, suggesting that the probe may be widening to include Greitens' campaign activities.

Hanaway said she had not spoken to Hafner and he is not her client.

Two of the governor’s criminal defense attorneys, Jim Bennett and Edward Dowd, will be registering as lobbyists in Jefferson City to represent the governor before the legislative committee.

Bennett said in a phone call that the men were registering “to be on the safe side” as they represent the governor.