There is no need for legislators to get involved in the investigation into allegations of misconduct surrounding the state’s film tax credit program, Democratic leaders in the state House and Senate said Wednesday.

In a letter to their Republican counterparts, House Speaker Pat Murphy of Dubuque and Senate President Jack Kibbie of Emmetsburg said with the attorney general and auditor already conducting an investigation, there is no reason for the matter to go before the Legislative Oversight Committee.

“At this time, however, we believe that it would be imprudent for the Oversight Committee to bring officials from the Department of Economic Development/Film Office, state auditor’s office, attorney general’s office or Department of Revenue before the committee because it could impede or interrupt this joint investigation,” the letter said. “We are especially concerned about the effect of such testimony on any potential criminal proceedings in light of Chief Deputy Auditor Warren Jenkins’s statement that criminal charges against some individuals are possible.”

Jenkins told the Iowa Independent that any time the auditor’s office conducts an investigation that criminal charges are possible, although the likelihood of that happening in this investigation is small.

Murphy and Kibbie were responding to a request by Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley and House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen requesting the Oversight Committee look into the film credit allegations when the meet on Thursday.

Democratic Sen. Rich Olive of Story City, who chairs the Oversight Committee, said Tuesday that the committee would discuss the issue Thursday, saying the investigation could expand to all the state’s tax credit programs.