Dean Plocher

Missouri House Chief Clerk Dana Miller accusing outgoing House Speaker Dean Plocher and his former chief of staff of retaliating against her and trying to get her removed from her job.

Missouri House Chief Clerk Dana Miller filed a lawsuit in May accusing Dean Plocher and his chief of staff, Rod Jetton, of harassment and intimidation. It stems from disputes that emerged last year over an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a lucrative software contract.

The Secretary of State is the top election official in Missouri. The Republican primary in August includes the current House Speaker, several state legislators, and some newcomers to elected office.

A Kansas City Democrat on the committee said the move is election year posturing. Multiple studies over the years have debunked the alleged links between undocumented immigrants and violent crime — and research indicates that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than those born in the U.S.

House Chief Clerk Dana Miller accuses Dean Plocher of pushing for the purchase of expensive constituent communication software, because it would mean large donations for his statewide campaign for lieutenant governor.

The committee voted to dismiss the ethics complaint, after removing language that blamed the result on “the inability of the committee to finish the investigation as a direct result of obstruction of the process and the intimidation of witnesses by” Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher.

The Missouri House Speaker is already being accused of obstructing the work of an ethics committee. Recently, lawmakers have raised concerns about whether the ethics rules in the House need to be reworked in cases where the chamber’s most powerful member is the focus of an investigation.

The report, which was voted down by the Missouri House committee, concluded the inquiry lacked direct evidence of ethical misconduct but alleged the speaker hindered the investigation’s efforts to get to the truth.

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, faced criticism last year for unsuccessfully pushing the House to purchase a software system from a private company over the objections of nonpartisan legislative staff. Meetings his office helped arrange with an Oklahoma company last month are drawing comparisons.

Plocher’s hold on his speakership remains tenuous, and his campaign for lieutenant governor is now considered a longshot. His top legislative staff are gone, either fired or resigned in the wake of the scandals. But the impact of the ethics probe is playing out in more subtle ways in the Missouri House.

Missouri Republicans and Democrats both expressed concern that election year pressures, especially with multiple members running for statewide office, may make it difficult to pass significant legislation. Several conservative lawmakers also signaled that they plan to scrutinize bills more closely.

Public records show the Missouri House spent $60,000 of taxpayer money renovating the speaker’s office — including $29,000 on new furniture like a leather sofa and new fridge. At the same time, other legislative offices remain inaccessible to constituents with disabilities.