HARRISBURG — House Speaker Sam Smith testified today at a government corruption trial that fellow House Republican caucus leaders left him out of an alleged scheme to spend millions of public dollars on illegal political work.

The Jefferson County lawmaker, who was the House GOP leader at the time, testified this morning that he signed contracts with a consultant that developed much of the campaign technology. But he said caucus lawyers assured him it was legitimate legislative work and that he assumed any campaign work was being financed by then-Speaker John Perzel's political committees or the House Republican Campaign Committee.

Perzel and six others connected to the caucus have pleaded guilty in the case. Smith was not charged.

The two defendants on trial are former Rep. Brett Feese and his former aide, Jill Seaman.