Olathe ? Former Attorney General Paul Morrison said Thursday that he looks forward to proving that he’s innocent of criminal misconduct allegations raised against him as he became embroiled in a sex scandal.

In his first public comments since he resigned after admitting to an affair with a subordinate, Morrison accused Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline of orchestrating a misinformation campaign against him.

“This is about a political vendetta,” Morrison said at a brief news conference at the Johnson County Courthouse. “It has nothing to do with justice.”

Morrison and Kline have been engaged in a bitter feud since Morrison – then Johnson County district attorney – ran against Kline in 2006 for attorney general. After Morrison won, Kline was selected to replace him as Johnson County prosecutor.

Even before Morrison’s resignation in January, the woman he was involved with, Linda Carter, alleged that he tried to use her to influence a federal lawsuit against Kline and tried to get information from her about Kline’s activities.

Morrison and his attorney, Trey Pettlon, said Thursday that Kline had leaked misinformation to the media and had made public statements accusing him of serious crimes, such as witness tampering, obstruction of a criminal investigation and blackmail. No charges have been filed.

In a statement Thursday, Kline said he has consistently refused to comment on “allegations made by others” regarding Morrison and would have “absolutely no comment on this matter.”

On Tuesday, Kline selected two special prosecutors, Robert E. Arnold III and Timothy E. Keck, to investigate the allegations. Keck worked for Kline in the Johnson County district attorney’s office for a year until resigning last month to start a law firm with Arnold.