COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican legislative leaders from at least four states have acknowledged taking part in a London summer trip with lobbyists and an Ohio speaker who recently resigned citing questioning by federal investigators about his activities.

Minnesota Speaker Kurt Daudt, Wisconsin Speaker Robin Vos, Michigan Speaker Tom Leonard and North Dakota House Majority Leader Al Carlson were at the four-day event with Republican Ohio Speaker Cliff Rosenberger last August, The Associated Press confirmed.

The event was sponsored and paid for by the GOPAC Education Fund’s Institute for Leadership Development. GOPAC works to elect Republicans to higher office.

The politicians emphasized the money for the trip did not come from taxpayers, said they were not lobbied during the event and said they had complied with ethics laws in their states.

The powerful Rosenberger, who quit last week, had been criticized for his lavish lifestyle, including traveling around the world and staying in a luxury downtown Columbus condo owned by a wealthy Republican donor. He has said he believes his actions as speaker were “ethical and lawful.”

Ohio’s ethics laws, like those in most states, prohibit legislators from accepting valuable gifts but allow them to accept travel expenses to conferences related to official business if they aren’t exchanged for legislative favors.

Rosenberger, who made about $101,000 a year as a lawmaker, was allowed to pay for work-related trips through his own campaign fund, through House Republicans’ political fund or through a stipend from an outside group such as GOPAC.

GOPAC, like many other groups that seek to inform state legislators, takes contributions from corporations to help fund its budget. An Ohio lobbyist who attended the London trip told the AP that corporations pay membership fees to the group that make them privy to invitations to events at which lawmakers will be present.

Among corporations attending the London event were Altria, Comcast, Walmart and Select Management, operator of the title lending business LoanMax, which has lobbying interests in Ohio, Wisconsin and several other states.

GOPAC Executive Director Jessica Curtis confirmed that Rosenberger and an Ohio state representative were among event guests.

An Ohio-based lobbyist for LoanMax, Steve Dimon, also was on the trip. Title and payday lenders have been lobbying against proposed legislation that would place restrictions on their industry.

Dimon said he saw Rosenberger on the trip but declined to comment on whether they discussed any legislation or whether he has since been questioned by the FBI.