A panel of lawmakers has dismissed an ethics complaint against Missouri's powerful House speaker. The House Ethics Committee voted 7-2 on Monday to dismiss the complaint against Republican Speaker Dean Plocher.

An investigation into accusations of misconduct by Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher was dismissed Monday at the end of a tense hearing where members of the ethics committee blocked the chair from reading an email about how Plocher’s office had allegedly intimidated possible witnesses.

Speaker Dean Plocher immediately claimed he was exonerated from a series of “false allegations” leveled against him, which triggered the politically charged investigation by the House Ethics Committee. “From the outset of this investigation, I’ve maintained my innocence,” Plocher told reporters following the brief meeting.

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher claimed to be a victim of a “bureaucratic revolt” and compared himself to former President Donald Trump among other Republican officials.