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.

The Senate will hold a private caucus just after Christmas to elect Sen. Amy Koch's replacement. The majority leader is the state Senate's most powerful figure.

One assistant majority leader says if the allegations of an inappropriate relationship are true, it will be difficult for Amy Koch to stay in the Senate. Another says he hopes she does stay. Koch resigned her post as Senate Majority Leader last week amid allegations of a relationship with a Senate staffer.

Amy Koch is out after a scandal involving an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, and Republicans on Tuesday are set to vote in a new chief. Forum Communications' Don Davis takes a look at just what it means to be majority leader or house speaker, and hold one of the most powerful posts in the Legislature.

Democratic Sen. Tom Bakk, in a letter to incoming Senate Majority Leader David Senjem, said "The integrity and honor of the Minnesota Senate have been seriously called into question" and urged Senjem to look into any ethical or legal questions. Senjem has indicated that Senate Republicans would like to put the matter behind them.

City Pages quotes an anonymous Republican senator who says the ousted Senate communications chief created a hostile work environment and that numerous legislators complained about his behavior but then-Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch refused to take action.

Former Senate Republican staff member Michael Brodkorb claims he was wrongfully fired and is moving ahead with a lawsuit after the Senate rejected mediation. His lawyer says papers filed with the state acknowledge Brodkorb had an "intimate relationship" with former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch.

The Star Tribune takes a look at the behind-the-scenes jockeying leading up to Tuesday's vote, in which Republicans will pick a new Senate majority leader to replace Amy Koch. The election could have huge implications for proposals to put slot machines in race tracks or build a casino in downtown Minneapolis.