House Speaker allegedly charged Missouri for travel already paid for by his campaign

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher is accused of violating state and federal law. 

This is according to the Missouri Independent. 

After recently returning from Hawaii, he filed an expense report for reimbursement, but he allegedly paid for the trip from his “Plocher for Missouri” campaign account, not his personal one. 

Attorney Chuck Hatfield and the Missouri Ethics Commission say that an elected official IS allowed to use campaign money for official business, or they can use personal money and request reimbursement, but not both. 

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is calling on the state legislature to investigate the matter. 

It’s worth noting, however, that Gov. Mike Parson has the final say on whether lawmakers are called to investigate the matter – not the Secretary of State. 

The House Ethics Committee can also investigate, which is meeting Friday for an undisclosed reason.