JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, said Wednesday that a relationship alleged between Republican House Speaker John Diehl and a 19-year-old intern is “troubling.”

“The conduct by the speaker towards a college intern as outlined by the Kansas City Star today is clearly inappropriate and troubling,” Nixon said in a statement. “Elected officials should be held to the highest standards of conduct by their colleagues and the citizens of this state, and this trust must be upheld.”

Nixon’s statement comes after House Democrats had called on Diehl to step aside pending an investigation.