By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
Kansas City, Mo. – A former Kansas City area lawmaker says he has been questioned by the FBI about former House Speaker Rod Jetton.
Republican Bob Johnson, of Lee's Summit, told The Kansas City Star that FBI agents interviewed him last week about Jetton's handling of a 2005 bill that sought to regulate the adult entertainment industry.
Jetton assigned the bill to a committee led by Johnson, who opposed the legislation. Records show that strip club owners who opposed the bill had given $35,000 four days earlier to a fund-raising committee with ties to a top Jetton adviser.
Johnson said he was not aware of the contribution at the time.
An attorney for Jetton said he had no comment about the apparent FBI investigation.
Meanwhile, the new judge assigned in the case of former Missouri House speaker Rod Jetton has set a February 24th preliminary hearing date. Jetton is accused of assaulting a woman during rough sex.
Mississippi County Judge T. Lynn Brown was assigned to the case earlier this month after Jetton's attorney requested a new judge.
Jetton, a Republican from Marble Hill, was speaker from 2005 through 2008.
The charge stems from a November incident in Sikeston. Police reports offer conflicting statements about whether the sex was consensual.
The woman claimed Jetton struck her in the face and choked her. He has denied wrongdoing.