A Democratic legislator from Springfield faces a Missouri House ethics investigation because of an obscene text message sent to a Republican colleague during debate over the new congressional district map.
State Rep. Jeremy Dean of Springfield sent the text message on Sept. 4 to Republican state Rep. Cecelie Williams of Dittmer. Dean and other Democrats were engaged in a sit-in on the House floor and Williams was serving on the House Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee as it debated a bill altering the majority requirement for constitutional amendments proposed by initiative.
The message included a description of an oral sex act with the president and questioned how Republicans could talk while engaged in it.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City, said she removed Dean from his committee assignments after learning about the text.
“What Jeremy sent was wrong,” Aune said.
The text also inspired an ethics complaint against Dean. The House Ethics Committee, which conducts all its business confidentially until it has finished an investigation, met Sept. 10 to begin inquiries into two complaints.
Dean and Williams are freshman lawmakers, both winning their first terms in November.
Williams confirmed she received the obscene message but declined an interview, citing the ethics committee’s confidentiality rules.
“It was unwanted and unappreciated,” Williams said of the text. “I feel that the message has absolutely no place in the Missouri legislature or any other workplace at all. And so that’s really all that I can say.”
Dean declined a request for an interview. In a text, he also cited confidentiality of ethics investigations and said he is worried about his personal safety.
“Because of ongoing safety concerns stemming from death threats directed at me, I cannot provide a detailed comment on the allegations,” Dean said. “It is disheartening that some of my colleagues across the aisle have chosen to disregard these laws, though unfortunately, it aligns with their recent pattern of behavior.”
The text message to Williams became public when a screenshot of it was shared on social media by former Republican state Rep. Adam Schwadron. The post inspired outrage and vitriol towards Dean.
“Typical behavior from a degenerate homo,” Aaron Dorr, a longtime gun-rights activist and lobbyist for the Missouri Firearms Coalition, wrote on social media in response to the screenshot. “America needs to make sodomy and trans behavior sinful and disgusting again.”
Dean has apologized to Williams, Aune said.
“I am disappointed that this text was even sent and take it very seriously,” Aune said. “I would argue it was probably not even the worst thing sent between members that day.”
If Republicans try to make an example of Dean, Aune said, members of her caucus will respond.
“One of the things I shared with the speaker was that if this rises to the level of a big deal,” Aune said, “then I’ve got news for him and his caucus, because my caucus has receipts, too.”
This story was originally published by the Missouri Independent.
