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Are Missouri Republicans 'eating their own'?

The Speaker of the Missouri House is taking heat — especially from some in his own Republican party — for double-dipping on travel expense reimbursements. What does the flare-up tell us about the state of the Missouri GOP and next year’s fast approaching elections?

Missouri House Speaker Plocher is under fire for the second time this month. First, he took heat for behind-the-scenes efforts to hire a private contractor to do something already being done with government software, conduct that longtime legislative staffers called potentially illegal and unethical.

Last week, the Missouri Independent reported that Plocher had sought and received reimbursement from state funds for expenses that his campaign had already paid for. The revelations drew sharp rebukes from fellow Republicans, including calls for his resignation. So what’s going on, and what does it say about the state of Missouri’s Republican party?

Brian Ellison spoke with Jason Hancock, the editor in chief of the Missouri Independent, about the story.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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As a host and contributor at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on Twitter @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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