Missouri House Speaker John Diehl issued an apology late Wednesday afternoon in the wake of a story published by The Star about text exchanges between him and a Capitol intern.

The statement followed a day where the St. Louis-area Republican spent mostly behind closed doors in meetings with other lawmakers as the Capitol buzzed about the intern story.

This is the statement issued as a news release from the speaker’s office at 4:38 p.m.:

“I take full responsibility for my actions and am truly sorry to those I let down. I apologize for the poor judgment I displayed that put me and those closest to me in this situation. I also regret that the woman has been dragged into this situation. The buck stops here. I ask for forgiveness. I will begin immediately working to restore the trust of those closest to me, and getting back to the important work that is required in the final days of session.”