JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Following an investigation that found lobbyists to be peddling their influence with state attorneys general — including Missouri’s own, Democrat Chris Koster – state lawmakers have launched a committee that hopes take a deeper dive into the issue.

Citing a recent New York Times report alleging curious timing between Koster’s decision to drop or not pursue investigations into corporations and his political dealings with their representatives, House Speaker Tim Jones announced the creation of the House Oversight Committee on Public Officials and Government Accountability on Wednesday.

“We deserve to know the truth about what happened in these instances where it appears the best interests of the people of Missouri took a backseat to large sums of money that ended up in Koster’s campaign coffers,” Jones said in a statement.

Jones, a Republican who, at one time, considered seeking his party’s nomination to replace Koster as attorney general in 2016, said the ten member committee will “delve deeper into these issues so that the truth is revealed and we know once and for all whether the Attorney General’s office was for sale.”

The committee will be made up of six Republicans and four Democrats. It will be chaired by state Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, Jones said.

Its formation comes just weeks before the 97th General Assembly is set to make way for the 98th General Assembly to be sworn-in on January 7. Over the past two years, the legislature, led by Jones, has shown reluctance to tackle the global issue of influence peddling over state government. Missouri is the only state in the country where lawmakers – from Koster to Jones – can accept both unlimited lobbyist gifts and unlimited campaign contributions.

Chris McDaniel, a St. Louis-based reporter who was involved the creation of the website, LobbyingMissouri.org, noted on Wednesday that the ten members Jones appointed to the committee have, themselves, accepted more than $64,000 in gifts from lobbyists.