So far, only the timing of their departures connects Amy Koch and Michael Brodkorb, but that hasn't stopped news outlets from trying to connect the dots.

The Senate Rules Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss how to proceed with the Michael Brodkorb case. The former staffer claims he was wrongfully fired over his affair with a Senator and has laid the groundwork for a gender discrimination suit. Brodkorb argues plenty of female staff members have affairs with Senators and go unpunished. The Senate is paying $330 an hour to defend itself, even before the suit is filed.

The ousted communications chief will reportedly file a lawsuit seeking $500,000, claiming Senate Secretary Cal Ludeman defamed him when he told the press Brodkorb was trying to "blackmail" the Senate through a wrongful-termination case. Brodkorb was fired from the Senate after his affair with then-Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch came to light.

WCCO is reporting that four Republican Senators held an emergency meeting with Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch on Wednesday night after learning about possible improper conduct. Koch resigned unexpectedly on Thursday.

Michael Brodkorb's threatened lawsuit has prompted the Minnesota Senate to spend $85,000 preparing a defense. The former Republican staff member, who says he was wrongfully fired, met with Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem in a St. Paul coffee shop Monday. Brodkorb's lawyer says he was blindsided by the meeting and calls it a chance encounter he would not have authorized.

A former Minnesota Senate aide who was fired over an affair with the chamber's majority leader is slimming down his lawsuit against the state. Michael Brodkorb was fired last year after Senate leaders discovered his affair with then-Majority Leader Amy Koch. He is suing the state over the dismissal. Now he's dropping several invasion-of-privacy claims to focus on defamation and gender discrimination claims.

The DFL leader proposed the Senate set up a legal defense fund to help pay the lawyers preparing a defense against a possible lawsuit. But the Rules Committee voted to allocate tax dollars for the legal fees. Michael Brodkorb is a former Senate Republican staffer who maintains he was wrongfully fired.