Why the usual political gravity hasn't grounded Greitens and Pruitt

No. In describing the relationship between Greitens and his hairdresser, the report details allegations of sexual violence and nonconsensual sexual acts, along with a clear threat, if she went public, to expose the hairdresser online, with a photograph that she did not consent to his taking. "Don't even mention my name to anybody at all, because if you do, I'm going to take these pictures," the report quotes the woman as saying Greitens told her. "They are going to be everywhere, and then everyone will know what a little whore you are." Greitens is to stand trial next month on a felony charge of invasion of privacy stemming from the photo.

Greitens presents a reverse Moore scenario: There is time for the Republican Party to salvage its chance to win a competitive Senate election, in which Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is challenging Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. So the last few days have seen a parade of state Republicans, led by Hawley, calling on Greitens to resign.

Certainly, history offers some solace to politicians willing to endure the humiliation of a sex scandal. Recall Grover Cleveland's illegitimate child and the campaign chant, "Ma, ma, where's my Pa?" Recall, more recently, the repulsive details of Bill Clinton's encounters with Monica Lewinsky.

Yet the ordinary laws of political gravity -- the state's biggest newspapers have said Greitens must go -- would counsel that these allegations, involving not just sexual perversion but outright assault, are not survivable. But there is Greitens, resisting, calling the report "tabloid trash" and assailing "a political witch hunt." Sound familiar?

That Greitens and Pruitt remain in office, as of this writing, says something -- not just about them, but about the degraded state of our politics.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.