Senate District 31,
I wanted to take a moment to provide a comprehensive timeline of the recent events surrounding Senator Nicole Mitchell's arrest and subsequent actions in the Senate. As many of you are aware, Senator Mitchell was arrested in Detroit Lakes in the early hours of April 22nd, 2024, on charges of first degree burglary. Her arrest, stemming from an incident at her mother-in-law's residence, has understandably raised concerns.
On April 23rd, Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R) called for Senator Mitchell's resignation, citing the disturbing nature of the allegations against her. The Becker County Attorney's complaint outlined the seriousness of the charges, indicating meticulous planning involved in the alleged burglary.
Subsequently, Senate Republicans filed an ethics complaint against Senator Mitchell on April 24th, emphasizing the need to uphold the integrity of the legislature. Despite this, Senate Democrats chose not to support the expedited process of addressing the ethics violation, opting instead to delay proceedings and protect their majority.
While Senate Democrats eventually removed Senator Mitchell from her committee positions, it was a superficial action considering the committees were not scheduled to convene for the remainder of the session. Furthermore, Majority Leader Murphy's statement regarding Senator Mitchell's removal from the Democrat Senate Caucus proved to be misleading, as she remained a member albeit in a non-participatory capacity. Again, Senate Democrats played politics to hold onto their single-seat majority. They are deciding to support an alleged felon who has been accused of a violent crime rather than walk across the aisle and ask Republicans to support their bills.
The Democrats partisan attempts to maintain their power became even more evident on April 29th when Senate Republicans sought to prevent Senator Mitchell from voting on the Senate floor during the ongoing investigation into her alleged violent crime. Unfortunately, Democrats rejected this motion along party lines, highlighting their unwillingness to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. Sen. Mitchell cast the deciding vote against the motion on a procedural move. Second, Republicans proposed to prevent the Secretary of the Senate from registering and recording the vote of any Senate member charged with a violent crime until the investigation concludes and findings are submitted. Once more, Democrats voted to reject the motion, and Senator Mitchell once again was the deciding vote on that measure.
Senator Mitchell has been the pivotal vote on multiple legislative matters. Someone purportedly willing to break into their mother-in-law's house and commit theft lacks the mental acuity, ethical, and moral standards necessary to responsibly determine the course of Minnesotans' lives. After the Jobs bill's passage, Republicans formally protested to the President of the Senate addressing Senator Champion on May 1st. The Letter highlights discrepancies in the representation of Senate makeup and the need for proportional committee representation.
Senate Democrats are acting as though they possess a majority, despite the Senate composition standing at 33 Republicans, 33 Democrats, and 1 unaffiliated member, as per our floor discussion. Majority leader Murphy originally stated that Mitchell was no longer in the Democratic Senate Caucus. however, when republicans pushed to change the composition of Senate Committees, per our rules, Senator Murphy changed her mind and stated Senator Mitchell is "not participating". It's imperative to adjust the composition of Senate committees according to Murphy's original statements. The delay tactics employed by Democrats solely to preserve their control constitutes a disenfranchisement of half of Minnesota's voter base.
Senator Mitchell's ethics committee hearing was finally held on May 7th, 2024. You can watch a summary of the events by clicking HERE. Senator Mitchell refused to answer any questions and instead had her lawyer testify on her behalf. It is clear that Senator Mitchells alleged activity is unbecoming of an elected official and therefore must resign or be removed from office.
As your Senator, I'm committed to transparency, accountability, and representing all constituents fairly. I'll closely monitor developments and advocate for the integrity of our legislative process. With only 5 legislative days left this session, we're far from completing the people's business. We've seen minimal progress, with just one bill returned from conference committee and no bonding bill in sight. The delay in conference committee reports only presents two unfavorable options: either the Democrats push through a Prime Omnibus Bill or we reconvene for a special session later this year. It's evident that the current leadership is incapable of preserving our institutions' integrity or effectively governing. St. Paul needs a change in power.
