Missouri House Speaker Plocher is under fire for the second time this month. First, he took heat for behind-the-scenes efforts to hire a private contractor to do something already being done with government software, conduct that longtime legislative staffers called potentially illegal and unethical.

Last week, the Missouri Independent reported that Plocher had sought and received reimbursement from state funds for expenses that his campaign had already paid for. The revelations drew sharp rebukes from fellow Republicans, including calls for his resignation. So what’s going on, and what does it say about the state of Missouri’s Republican party?

Brian Ellison spoke with Jason Hancock, the editor in chief of the Missouri Independent, about the story.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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