JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 The embattled speaker of the Missouri House had hoped to spend Thursday taking a victory lap in his bid to tamp down an ethics probe into his administration.
But the bipartisan committee investigating Rep. Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, didn鈥檛 cooperate with his plans.
While Plocher and his backers appeared to believe the House Ethics Committee would punt on calling for any sanctions against him, the panel adjourned from their closed-door hearing Thursday without issuing a report.
Rep. Hannah Kelly, the Mountain View Republican who chairs the committee, said the 10 members would meet again Monday, keeping the cloud of scandal hovering over Plocher for at least another weekend.
鈥淭he committee鈥檚 work is ongoing and we鈥檙e committed to doing our job right and well. And that鈥檚 all I have to say,鈥 Kelly said.
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The decision to keep moving forward with the probe took the air out of Plocher鈥檚 tentatively planned celebration.
Before the panel gaveled into their closed-door meeting, Plocher told the Post-Dispatch he had no comment about the proceedings as he headed into his third floor office.
But, he said, 鈥淔ingers crossed.鈥
Minutes after the ethics committee meeting ended about three hours later without a resolution, Plocher stood at a lectern with his wife, Rebecca, in the House Lounge, where he looked ready to deliver remarks.
Members of the Republican majority he controls milled about the room waiting for the event to begin.
But, after consulting with his chief of staff, former Speaker Rod Jetton, Plocher ordered the Lounge to be locked behind him as he walked back inside.
Asked for comment, Plocher鈥檚 lawyer David Steelman said, 鈥淚 really can鈥檛. You know, I鈥檇 leave that up to other folks. But maybe in the future.鈥 Steelman was hired to represent Plocher in the inquiry.
Tensions on the House side of the Capitol have been building for weeks as the committee has slogged through multiple hourslong meetings over the past seven months.
As time has ticked down on the session, Kelly has been under pressure to bring the committee to a resolution that either clears Plocher or asks the full House to impose sanctions against him.
The task has been formidable with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats on the committee failing to settle on the details of a plan in recent weeks.
Concerns about Plocher began heating up last year when he attempted to steer an $800,000 state contract to a software vendor.
The accusations against him exploded after he fired top aides and admitted he had falsely claimed $4,000 in reimbursements for trips he had paid for with his campaign account, including one to Hawaii.
His push to purchase a constituent management software system was jettisoned by a House committee after members suggested Plocher was trying to use political connections to help a company win a state contract rather than going through the normal bidding process.
In addition to calling the proposed contract an unnecessary duplication of what lawmakers already are being offered, House Chief Clerk Dana Miller also expressed concern that a feature on the program would allow lawmakers to export data obtained within their official capacity as a state representative to the campaign side of their jobs.
The committee was convened after a complaint was filed against Plocher in October. The panel meets in a special, secure hearing room in the Capitol basement.
An outside inspector was hired to conduct interviews and collect evidence. Witnesses were brought in through a hidden rear door to avoid walking past reporters who wait in an outside corridor when the committee is meeting.
Among those interviewed was Jetton, whom Plocher hired last year as the scandal was unfolding.
Others included Plocher鈥檚 political consultant David Barklage, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to filing a false tax return.
Miller, who first raised red flags about the software deal, also spoke to the panel. Lobbyist John Bardgett also appeared. He represented the software company.
Under House rules, the committee investigates complaints of ethical misconduct by members of the House. The harshest punishment the panel can recommend is the expulsion of a member. They also can issue lesser sanctions, such as a letter of reprimand.
Committee members include Kelly and fellow Republican Reps. John Black of Marshfield, Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway of Festus, Rick Francis of Perryville and Mike McGirl of Potosi.
Democrats include Reps. Robert Sauls of Independence, David Tyson Smith of Columbia, Marlene Terry of St. 亚洲无码 County, Jerome Barnes of Raytown and Paula Brown of Hazelwood.
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, a Republican from Des Peres, was the subject of a lengthy investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Th…