JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - Missouri House Speaker John Diehl, R-Town and Country, said Thursday that he is resigning from office after acknowledging that he exchanged sexually charged text messages with a college student serving as a Capitol intern.
Here's what people are saying about his announcement.
"Speaker Diehl was an effective leader with significant accomplishments for our state. He made a mistake, and has apologized. He made the right decision today. I wish John the best as he and his family work through this." - U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican
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"Missourians deserve elected officials who reflect their values and comport themselves to the highest standards of integrity. Rep. John Diehl's resignation from the position of speaker and state representative is an appropriate and necessary step. Our thoughts go out to the families who have been affected by the speaker's conduct. I look forward to working with the next speaker to restore the public trust and continue building a brighter future for our state." - Missouri's Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon
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"Today is a sad day for Missouri and this body. However, we were elected to do the work of the people and we begin the process of doing that by choosing a new leader. As a caucus we have a job to do; a responsibility to our constituents and the state. We will move quickly but deliberatively to select a new speaker of the House. Our majority caucus is bigger than just one member. We have talented members from across our great state and it is now up to them to choose our next leader, and the next leader of the Missouri House of Representatives." - House Speaker Pro Tem Denny Hoskins and House Majority Floor Leader Todd Richardson, the two next most powerful positions in the House, in a joint statement.
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"As the father of two daughters, and a Missourian, I was deeply troubled by the information that came to light yesterday. Speaker Diehl's actions and misconduct have failed this state, and the citizens of Missouri deserve a higher standard of leadership." - Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Roy Temple
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"We commend John Diehl for doing the right thing during this troubling time, and we look forward to working with the next speaker to continue building upon our conservative legislative accomplishments and moving our state forward." - Missouri Republican Party Executive Director Jonathon Prouty
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"I'm glad that the speaker ultimately chose to do the right thing and to step aside so that the General Assembly can heal from this incident and move forward to do the work of Missourians." - Rep. Gina Mitten, D-St. Louis, who was among six top House Democrats who called for Diehl's resignation Wednesday
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"He made a mistake, he got caught and he's paid the price." - Rep. Mark Parkinson, R-St. Charles
"John's a good friend. I cherish my relationship with John. He did the right thing for the caucus, the House, the General Assembly and the state of Missouri. I think he'll go down as one of the greatest speakers of the House in the history of the state." - Rep. Nick King, R-Liberty
"I think he did the right thing. I thought he did a good job as speaker, but sometimes you're not able to lead anymore, and I think John didn't want to get in the way of progress." - state Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington
"Any type of relationship outside of marriage is not appropriate. ... Definitely pray for the families involved." - Rep. Tila Hubrecht, R-Dexter
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