Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010

Bartle testifies to grand jury

Associated Press

A Missouri senator who testified before a federal grand jury Tuesday said political donations from the adult entertainment industry contributed to the demise of a bill that would have imposed new taxes and regulations on sexually oriented businesses.

Republican Sen. Matt Bartle, Lee’s Summit, testified for a little less than an hour Tuesday before a grand jury at the federal courthouse in Kansas City. Bartle, who is not a target of the grand jury investigation, said he was subpoenaed to testify about the defeat of his anti-porn legislation in the House during the 2005 session.

Bartle said he couldn’t reveal the specific questions or people that he was quizzed about before the grand jury. But he noted his bill got bogged down after House Speaker Rod Jetton sent it to a committee whose chairman opposed it — and that action came just days after the adult entertainment industry contributed $35,000 to a political committee connected to a Jetton adviser.

“The receipt of that money looks horrible, and I think there is a link between that money and my bill dying,” Bartle told reporters after testifying.

After Bartle left, the treasurer for the political committee that received the money also testified before the grand jury. David Byrn said he was a witness, not a target of the investigation.

The grand jury session comes after another former lawmaker — Rep. Bob Johnson, R-Lee’s Summit — said he was interviewed by the FBI last month about the adult entertainment legislation, Jetton’s role in it and the House’s procedures for handling bills.