By NANCY WEST, InDepthNH.org

State Rep. Bryan Morse, 31, R-Franklin, said he is innocent of the felony charge of dissemination of private sexual photos by posting nude photos of a woman after his arrest in Nashua.

“I’ll make it simple. This is nothing but a gigantic smear campaign,” Morse said when reached by phone Friday. He posted a site to raise money hoping to raise $10,000 for legal fees and had raised $150 by Friday night.

Morse said there were ongoing investigations into both sides. He said he has been the target of threats ever since he pushed HB 324 as a member of the legislature, to require school boards to make decisions in public if parents complain about sexually explicit books in school libraries. The bill passed but Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed it.

New Hampshire Public Radio reported Friday that a spokesperson for House Speaker Sherman Packard said Morse would no longer serve on his committee.

Earlier House Democratic Leader Rep. Alexis Simpson, D-Exeter, called for Morse to be removed from the House Education Committee in a press release.

“While the legal process moves forward, I am calling on Speaker Packard to remove Rep. Morse from the Education Policy and Administration Committee. When you hold public office, you don’t get to break the law and just expect your constituents to follow it. Accountability must apply to everyone.” 

Morse said: “It’s an individual trying to defame me, to spin this around and profit from it,” adding he couldn’t provide further details at this time.

“The truth will come out soon,” Morse said. In the meantime he and his family have received more threats than usual because of the revenge porn allegation, including death threats.

“This has been a shit show – the comments, the hate. It’s as simple as an accusation with no basis,” he said.

He said he is married with two children and earns his living repairing telephone poles. He said he has been keeping the Speaker of the House apprised of the allegations.

House Bill 324 would have allowed due process for parents who find porn in school libraries to have it removed publicly, he said. “A lot  of schools – they have shunned parents and kicked them out,” Morse said.