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State Rep. Jeremy Dean, D-Springfield, speaks in February on the Missouri House floor. (Tim Bommel\/Missouri House Communications)<\/p>\n
A Democratic legislator from Springfield faces a Missouri House ethics investigation because of an obscene text message sent to a Republican colleague during debate over the new congressional district map.<\/span><\/p>\n State Rep. Jeremy Dean of Springfield sent the text message on Sept. 4 to Republican state Rep. Cecelie Williams of Dittmer. Dean and other Democrats were engaged in a sit-in on the House floor and Williams was serving on the House Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee as it debated a bill altering the majority requirement for constitutional amendments proposed by initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n The message included a description of an oral sex act with the president and questioned how Republicans could talk while engaged in it.<\/span><\/p>\n House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City, said she removed\u00a0 Dean from his committee assignments after learning about the text.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat Jeremy sent was wrong,\u201d Aune said.<\/span><\/p>\n The text also inspired an ethics complaint against Dean. The House Ethics Committee, which conducts all its business confidentially until it has finished an investigation, met Sept. 10 to begin inquiries into two complaints.<\/span><\/p>\n Dean and Williams are freshman lawmakers, both winning their first terms in November.<\/span><\/p>\n Williams confirmed she received the obscene message but declined an interview, citing the ethics committee\u2019s confidentiality rules.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was unwanted and unappreciated,\u201d Williams said of the text. \u201cI feel that the message has absolutely no place in the Missouri legislature or any other workplace at all. And so that\u2019s really all that I can say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Dean declined a request for an interview. <\/span>In a text, he also cited confidentiality of ethics investigations and said he is worried about his personal safety.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cB<\/span>ecause of ongoing safety concerns stemming from death threats directed at me, I cannot provide a detailed comment on the allegations,\u201d Dean said. \u201cIt is disheartening that some of my colleagues across the aisle have chosen to disregard these laws, though unfortunately, it aligns with their recent pattern of behavior.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The text message to Williams became public when a screenshot of it was shared on social media by former Republican state Rep. Adam Schwadron. The post inspired outrage and vitriol towards Dean.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTypical behavior from a degenerate homo,\u201d Aaron Dorr, a longtime gun-rights activist and lobbyist for the Missouri Firearms Coalition, wrote on social media in response to the screenshot. \u201cAmerica needs to make sodomy and trans behavior sinful and disgusting again.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Dean has apologized to Williams, Aune said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am disappointed that this text was even sent and take it very seriously,\u201d Aune said. \u201cI would argue it was probably not even the worst thing sent between members that day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n If Republicans try to make an example of Dean, Aune said, members of her caucus will respond.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things I shared with the speaker was that if this rises to the level of a big deal,\u201d Aune said, \u201cthen I\u2019ve got news for him and his caucus, because my caucus has receipts, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This article was updated at 9:40 a.m. to correct the bill being debated in committee at the time the text was sent.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Cecelie-Williams-022425-scaled.jpeg\")
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