Republican state senators clashed with attorneys representing DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell during a closely watched ethics committee hearing Tuesday evening, arguing the senator who was charged with felony first-degree burglary violated the chamber's ethical standards and should face legislative punishment.
Mitchell's legal team countered that she is entitled to due process. Attorney Bruce Ringstrom Jr. accused GOP senators of engaging in a "witch hunt" by trying to make a definitive judgment before Mitchell's criminal case has played out.
While Mr. Ringstrom is correct in his assessment, it would've been nice to hear from Sen. Mitchell herself as to why her first public statement regarding her arrest contradicted what she told authorities the night of the incident. If indeed she performed an "about face" just to be able to stay in the Senate in order to cast the deciding vote on critical pieces of legislation, that would certainly pose some ethical dilemmas.
Even the Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee was hard pressed to make a coherent defense of his DFL colleague.
DFL Sen. Bobby Joe Champion and GOP Sen. Jeremy Miller get in a tense exchange at DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell's ethics hearing. pic.twitter.com/LJXqQiyeLE
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) May 8, 2024
Ah, but fear not, as the media will continue to run cover for Mitchell until session ends. Despite the fact she is under criminal prosecution for felony burglary, she was allowed to cast the deciding vote on legislation banning binary triggers. And in the Minneapolis Star Tribune story reporting on the passage of that bill, Mitchell's name was not mentioned once.
The end of this legislative session can't come fast enough.
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