Missouri House Speaker Resigns after intern sexting scandal

Fox2StLouis ^ | 5/14/2015 | AP

[iowamark]

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Missouri House Speaker John Diehl has resigned after screen shots of text message conversations were published in the Kansas City Star on Wednesday. He was attempting to repair his reputation and retain his powerful position while seeking forgiveness for what he describes as his “poor judgment” with a 19-year-old legislative intern.

Diehl said Thursday that he is resigning both from his House speaker’s position and from his elected job as a Republican representative from suburban St. Louis.

This is a statement from John Diehl’s office:

"I appreciate those who have stood beside me and the overwhelming number of caucus members that have offered continued support; but for the good of my party, the caucus, and this state, I’m not going to further jeopardize what we have accomplished this year and what can be accomplished in the future. Therefore, I will be resigning the position of Speaker of the House and the office of State Representative in a way that allows for an orderly transition.”"

The Republican lawmaker is a married father who was just elected as speaker of the house this year. The female intern involved is a freshman at Missouri Southern State University. That school abruptly ended its internship program at the state capitol last month.

[livius]

Why in the world does any man think that any female, teenager or not, would want to see a picture of his ugliest part? I have a relative who worked in Internet sex crimes, and she told me that the first thing men do now is text a photo of their penis. It’s sort of like, hi, you’re cute, here’s my icky weenie...

[cuban leaf]

Yeah, but the old one is funnier. :-D

[VRW Conspirator]

Hey House Speaker John Diehl, ever heard of Anthony Wiener?

[kidd]

Well, when a republican acts inappropriately, you know he’s a republican by the first or second paragraph.

When its a democrat, you have to look much farther.

[Leep]

Live by the ego die by the ego.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Yeah and when Clinton gets caught with his pants down in the Oral Office with a 19 year old intern he gets high fives from his party especially when he beats the rap."

Even feminists defended him. File this one under "double standards."

[Steve_Seattle]

"The female intern involved is a freshman at Missouri Southern State University. That school abruptly ended its internship program at the state capitol last month."

I doubt they would have done that if it had been a Democrat she was playing with.

[drjimmy]

For what it’s worth, Lewinsky was 22, not 19.

[buckeye49]

No offence to the men here but they never get over thinking that women want to see it until the day they die. I worked at a nursing home for 10 years and formed that opinion there. Once was propositioned by a 100 year old!!

[donozark]

That’s not true. I was only 88. (Then)....

[Osage Orange]

HAHAHA!!

[TexasTransplant]

“Idiot. You’re supposed to screw the taxpayers, not teenage interns.”

Post of the day!

[buckeye49]

LOL!!

[donozark]

Ahh yes. And remember Gerry Studs? Raped a Congressional Intern? A minor child? A boy, in his Congressional Office?

Democrats named a Marine Sanctuary after him...Gerry Studs Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Hey Democrats! Double-standard much?

[Nationale7]

I was unaware of the Studds incident and just looked it up. For the record, age of consent in DC at the time was 16 and the page was 17, so — not to excuse his scuzziness, just for the record! — Studds did nothing actually illegal, and wasn’t married, so nothing adulterous either. Still, sheesh.