GOP Missouri House Speaker in Hot Water After Sexually Suggestive Texts With Intern

Missouri House Speaker John Diehl is facing a lot of uncomfortable questions this morning after the Kansas City Star released screen shots of inappropriate texts:

The texts show occasional efforts by Diehl and the intern to meet in person. They range from mundane chatter, about boring meetings and dreading speeches, to the more sexually suggestive.

A sample of the exchanges:

At one point Diehl texts her “God I want you right now,” to which she replies “I wish you could have me right now.”

In another exchange, she sends a picture of herself in a bikini and Diehl responds: “Damn girl …”

Shortly after he writes: “I want to see more” followed by a smiling emoji.

Diehl is a 49-year-old married father of three. The intern in question was part of a 20-year-old internship program through Missouri Southern State University, which coincidentally, abruptly shut down mid-semester.

Richard Miller, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Missouri Southern, told The Star that the school pulled its four interns out of the state Capitol this spring after an unspecified incident. Yet Miller, citing student privacy laws, declined to be more specific about what led the university to end the internships.

Curious, no?

Below is the text featured front and center on John Diehl's personal website:

I believe in the principles of personal responsibility, economic opportunity, and limited government. As Speaker, I will work to create an economy that creates jobs, grows businesses, and promotes opportunities for our kids and grandkids.

We'll see how strongly John Diehl stands by the "principles of personal responsibility." For now, he's ducking the media and lawyering up. You can read the full text of the exchanges at the Kansas City Star.