Watch CBS News

Indiana House Majority Leader Resigns After Apologetic Text

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A ranking Republican lawmaker who abruptly resigned Tuesday from the Indiana House sent a text message last week apologizing for "anything offensive" that may have been sent from his cellphone recently.

House Majority Leader Jud McMillin of Brookville said in a statement that he was giving up his seat "to focus all of my attention on making my family's world a better place."

The decision comes a week after McMillin texted multiple people stating that his cellphone had been stolen and apologizing for recent messages they may have received from it.

"My phone was stolen 24 hours ago in Canada. I have just been able to reactivate it under my control," reads the text, which was obtained by The Associated Press. "Please disregard any messages you received recently. I am truly sorry for anything offensive you may have received."

The Associated Press spoke to two people who received the text and obtained a copy of it from one of them. The two requested anonymity because it was a private message.

McMillin did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday, and it wasn't immediately clear what the contents of the "offensive" messages might have been.

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, thanked McMillin for his service in a statement and said the Republican Caucus supports McMillin's decision to focus on his family. Bosma said a new majority leader will be selected in the coming days.

McMillin was first elected to the Legislature in 2010 and quickly climbed the ranks to be named to the No. 2 position in the House last November.

During this year's legislative session he was a prominent supporter of the state's controversial religious objections law and played a key role in efforts to shift authority away from Democratic state schools superintendent Glenda Ritz.

McMillin represented a largely rural southeastern Indiana district.

"After five years of dedicated service I have decided the time is right for me to pass the torch and spend more time with my family," McMillin said in his resignation statement. "I hope that the work I have done in Indianapolis and in Southeastern Indiana has made the state and the communities I represent a better place."

(TM and © Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.