Rod Jetton’s political career ended in scandal. Now he’s Dean Plocher’s chief of staff

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher’s new chief of staff is a former legislative leader whose political career was upended more than a decade ago by a federal bribery investigation and allegations of violent sexual assault.

On Thursday, Plocher announced to a closed-door Republican caucus that Rod Jetton will take over as his top legislative aide. Jetton was elected to the Missouri House in 2000 and served four terms, playing a key role in the GOP capturing a majority in 2002 and rising to become House speaker in 2005.

He is joining Plocher’s office as the speaker faces an ethics committee inquiry into allegations of misconduct and calls for him to resign from his fellow Republicans.

Neither Plocher nor Jetton spoke to reporters waiting outside the Missouri Farm Bureau building in Jefferson City where the GOP caucus met. Republicans who spoke about the choice after the meeting said they see Jetton’s story as one of redemption and that his past is history that does not impact his ability to do the job.

“My feeling is that Rod Jetton was a great former speaker, he made a series of very bad mistakes, and he took action to correct them,” Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Patterson of Lee’s Summit said. “He’s paid his debt to society. And he is really a story of, of resilience and kind of making amends in life. I think we see the good in that. And I do think it’s unfortunate that people will always want to bring out the worst things that you’ve ever done.”

Democratic Floor Leader Crystal Quade of Springfield, however, said Jetton’s past disqualifies him from the post.