A few weeks ago, a sitting senator was accused of committing a heinous crime. He was charged with a felony for breaking into his family’s home in the middle of the night. This is unprecedented news that has cast a shadow over the Senate and completely changed the direction of our work.
After news of Sen. Mitchell’s felony charges came out, Senate Republicans took action. Many, like me, called for her immediate resignation. We also filed a dissenting brief denouncing Democrats’ attempts to use Sen. Mitchell’s vote as a tie-breaking vote to get all controversial bills across the finish line. This is a clear abuse of power.
Not only was Senator Mitchell allowed to vote on the controversial bill, he was also allowed to vote against motions that held him accountable for his actions. We tried to ask for an expedited ethics hearing on her actions, but she voted against it. We attempted to file a motion directing her Senate Secretary to prepare a formal request for her resignation, but she voted against it. This is wrong. Senators are held to a higher standard. She shouldn’t vote when she’s charged with a felony. This is an abuse of power, and Minnesotans should be disgusted by it.
We are sent here to work on behalf of the people, but Democrats knew they needed Sen. Mitchell’s vote to pass partisan legislation, so we couldn’t do our jobs until Sen. Mitchell came back. was temporarily suspended. This is evidence that they are clearly playing a political game. They hope the issue will go away so Sen. Mitchell can be the deciding vote on many controversial bills. This is incredibly wrong, undermines the sanctity of the Senate, and undermines the trust of the people who elected us to serve here on their behalf.
Senator Mitchell’s actions betray the public’s trust. Her natural course of action would be to either have her withhold her vote until her formal ethics hearing is held, or simply resign. She has already admitted her wrongdoing in the police report, so she knows there must be consequences for her actions. I’m tired of Democrats defending and defending someone who admittedly broke the law.
Sen. Mitchell’s outrageous statements made days after her arrest cannot be reconciled with the sworn information provided by local police in the criminal complaint charging her with a felony. Ms. Mitchell must explain to Minnesotans why her ridiculous public statements are so inconsistent with the criminal complaint signed under penalty of perjury by local law enforcement officials. Unless Sen. Mitchell can immediately explain why her own public statements and her criminal charges are so discrepant, she should be held accountable. That means she will not vote until the issue is resolved, or she will resign immediately. Minnesota deserves better.
Mr. Wesenberg represents Minnesota’s 10th Senate District.
