Missouri: Speaker Of The House John Diehl Resigns Due To "Sexting" Scandal With College Freshman

Former Speaker of the Missouri state House - John Diehl

Yesterday I posted about anti-gay, conservative and MARRIED Missouri Speaker of the House, John Diehl, who had been caught in a sexting scandal with a college freshman who was serving an internship at the Missouri state legislature.

Today, Diehl has announced he is resigning as Speaker and from his legislative seat as well.

"For the good of my party, the caucus, and this state, I’m not going to further jeopardize what we have accomplished this year and what can be accomplished in the future," the Republican from Town and Country said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. "Therefore, I will be resigning the position of Speaker of the House and the office of State Representative in a way that allows for an orderly transition.”

After spending eight hours in his office conferring with colleagues Wednesday, Diehl issued a statement apologizing saying he took "full responsibility" for the exchanges. He did not offer any detail. Diehl emerged from his office around 11 p.m. Wednesday but said little more to reporters.

In this statement Thursday, he still offered little detail, but again apologized and he acknowledged "making a serious error in judgment by sending the text messages.

"It was wrong and I am truly sorry," Diehl said in the statement. "Too often we hear leaders say they’re sorry but are unwilling to accept the consequences. I understand that, as a leader, I am responsible for my actions and I am willing to face the consequences."

Diehl was a vocal opponent to same-sex marriage in Missouri. So much so that he filed an amicus brief with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals opposing marriage equality there.

Diehl also co-sponsored a 2012 bill to ban Gay-Straight Alliances in public schools, which read: “Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no instruction, material, or extracurricular activity sponsored by a public school that discusses sexual orientation other than in scientific instruction concerning human reproduction shall be provided in any public school.”

I'm sure the 49 year old, who is married with three children, bases his opposition to same-sex marriage on his "deeply held religious beliefs" that don't seem to rule out sexting with a teen aged student who's less than half his age.