Latest news with #MinnesotaRepublicanParty
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota GOP leader slams activists for ‘too soon' protest against violent rhetoric outside of party's state headquarters
The Minnesota Republican Party has hit out at protesters picketing their state headquarters in Edina on Monday to accuse it of inflaming political violence and hatred with irresponsible rhetoric. The demonstration came just over a week after Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot dead inside their own home by a masked gunman, who went on to wound state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette before sparking a massive two-day manhunt that ended with the arrest of suspect Vance Boelter. Against that disturbing backdrop, Donna Bergstrom, Deputy Director of the Minnesota GOP, called the protesters 'reckless' and called on the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Governor Tim Walz to 'take responsibility for the climate their allies are creating.' 'I think it's just really disrespectful to be doing this at a time that comes so close to such horrific political violence,' Bergstrom said, appearing to blame the activists for the same toxic atmosphere they accuse her party of fostering. She further warned that their conduct risked making the GOP a target, claiming that someone had recently slashed the tires of her car. 'In recent weeks, the Minnesota GOP office has experienced vandalism and an alarming rise in online threats. Even interns have faced harassment from individuals physically showing up at the office,' a spokesperson told CBS News. Bergstrom acknowledged that the protesters had a First Amendment right to express their views, but suggested it was too soon after the slaying of the Hortmans for their current action and said it was wrong to picket a building in which local Republicans were not the only occupants. 'This just really is not the time and place for this to happen, and that people can certainly exercise their First Amendment rights, but really be respectful of other people and their rights also,' she said. Making the counter-argument, Drew Harmon of the political organization MN 50501 said of the shootings of which Boelter stands accused: 'What happened that day was not shocking because it's the culmination of decades of violent rhetoric finally being turned into action by somebody.' Dieu Do of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee agreed that the GOP had questions to answer over the tragedy: 'The background that we have on Vance and the alleged shooter of these incidents, it's very clear that his political views were Republican leaning and he was very anti-choice.' Right-wing news outlets and social media influencers were quick to allege that the suspect in the Hortman and Hoffman shootings was a liberal, despite his targeting Democrats, because a flyer for a nearby 'No Kings' protest against Donald Trump was found in his car and because he had been appointed to a non-partisan Workforce Development Board by both Walz and his predecessor, Mark Dayton. However, Boelter's roommate, David Carlson, told the press, 'He's not a Democrat. He would be offended if people called him a Democrat. He was a Trump supporter, he voted for Trump.' Do rejected Bergstrom's criticism of Monday's demonstrations, responding: 'If they think that our group of protesters, who are completely peaceful, are fanning the violence, then I would ask them what their party is doing.'
Express Tribune
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Minnesota senator behind Trump bill arrested for soliciting a minor
Listen to article Minnesota state senator Justin Eichorn, a Republican lawmaker who recently co-authored a bill seeking to classify "Trump derangement syndrome" as a mental illness, was arrested for allegedly soliciting a 17-year-old minor for prostitution. Authorities say Eichorn, 40, believed he was communicating with an underage girl online but was instead interacting with undercover detectives from the Bloomington Police Department. Upon traveling to meet the individual, he was arrested and booked into custody. Felony charges and law enforcement response Eichorn now faces felony charges for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Addressing the arrest, Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges issued a firm statement: 'As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someone's child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up.' The Minnesota Senate GOP quickly distanced itself from Eichorn, calling the allegations shocking and urging him to resign. The Minnesota Republican Party echoed this sentiment, citing the "seriousness" of the charges. Political fallout and Eichorn's controversial bill Eichorn's arrest comes just days after he co-authored a controversial bill aimed at classifying "Trump derangement syndrome" as a mental illness. The bill, which drew widespread criticism, defines the condition as: 'The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump.' It lists 'intense hostility' toward Trump and 'overt acts of aggression' against his supporters as symptoms. The proposal was met with bipartisan backlash, with Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy calling it 'possibly the worst bill in Minnesota history.' 'If it's a joke, it wastes time and trivializes real mental health issues. If it's serious, it's an affront to free speech and an expression of a dangerous level of loyalty to an authoritarian president.' Eichorn's background and next steps According to his Minnesota Senate biography, Eichorn is married with four children. With mounting pressure from within his party, his political future remains uncertain as he prepares to face legal proceedings. Authorities have not disclosed whether Eichorn has entered a plea or retained legal representation. The case is expected to proceed in Minnesota's judicial system in the coming weeks.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Supreme Court tosses recall petitions against DFLers who boycotted session
A Minnesota Republican Party push to remove Democratic-Farmer-Labor representatives who boycotted the beginning of this year's legislative session has failed. The state Supreme Court on Monday threw out 29 recall petitions filed by the GOP alleging DFL representatives failed to perform their duties when they denied the House quorum for three weeks earlier this year. Chief Justice Natalie Hudson ruled that since House DFLers eventually returned to the Capitol on Feb. 26, the petitions no longer have standing. The state GOP admitted this in their filings, she wrote, something that 'fatally' undermined allegations of nonfeasance. '(This) allegation as to the seriousness of any nonfeasance is conceded to no longer exist; a quorum has been created, and the legislative process is currently operating,' Hudson ruled. House DFLers earlier this year boycotted the legislative session when Republicans had a temporary one-seat advantage in the chamber. They aimed to deny quorum until Republicans pledged to enter a power-sharing agreement and seat a representative whose election they challenged in court. That eventually did happen, but the state Republican Party still moved forward with their threats to file for recalls. Republicans initially said they planned to file petitions against all 66 DFL members. Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Alex Plechash called the ruling disappointing but said the effort was about sending a message. 'The DFL may have escaped consequences in the short term, but Minnesota voters will have the final say on whether skipping work, shutting down the legislative process, and demanding to be paid for it is worthy of re-election,' he said in a statement. Under the state Constitution, voters can petition to have an elected official removed from office for 'serious malfeasance or nonfeasance' or conviction of a serious crime. In addition to claiming DFLers had failed to do their jobs, Republicans argued a certificate of election had to be present at the swearing-in ceremony. Hudson dismissed that second claim too because it did not allege an act that was 'unlawful or wrongful.' The court's ruling on the GOP petitions came the same day the House returned to a 67-67 tie between the parties. It was one of the remaining loose ends in the partisan power struggle that emerged after DFLers temporarily lost a seat, granting a one-seat majority to the GOP for two months. 'Chief Justice Hudson made the right decision in dismissing Republicans' frivolous recall petitions,' House DFL leader Melissa Hortman said in a statement. 'Now that the Minnesota House is tied 67-67 and operating under a power-sharing agreement, we hope Republicans will finally abandon their political games and work with us on a bipartisan basis to do the work voters sent us here to do.' It was unlikely that the GOP recall effort would gain traction. No petition has ever succeeded since voters approved the process in a 1996 ballot referendum. Part of that is due to the length of the process. To file a recall, a petitioner must first find 25 signatures in a district. That proposed petition is then submitted to the Minnesota Secretary of State, who will verify signatures. If the signatures are verified, it goes to the state Supreme Court for review. If the Supreme Court approves the petition, it is finalized and can be circulated. It must be signed by a number of people that is at least 25% of the total votes cast in the last election. Republicans estimated that was around 5,000 or 6,000, depending on the district. If the petition hits that threshold, a recall election must be scheduled — unless it's six months or less from the end of an official's term. Republican officials had said they expected the process to take about 10 months if it succeeded. Politics | Rep. David Gottfried takes seat, returns Minnesota House to tie Politics | Letters: How 'bout you start with your own budgets, budget-cutters? Politics | Republican bill would classify 'Trump derangement' as mental illness in Minnesota Politics | As MN Legislature again weighs ending ban on new nuclear plants, Prairie Island tribe a key voice Politics | Ethics panel deadlocks on complaints against senator charged with felony — again
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Supreme Court dismisses recall petitions against House Democrats who boycotted session
The house chamber stands half-empty as Democratic representatives boycott the session on the first day of the 94th legislative session at the Minnesota State Capitol Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer. The Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the 29 recall petitions against the House Democrats who boycotted the beginning of the legislative session earlier this year, ruling the allegations failed to meet the level of 'serious malfeasance or nonfeasance' that's needed for a successful recall. The Minnesota Republican Party last month filed recall petitions against 29 House Democrats for being absent from the Capitol for three weeks at the start of the legislative session. All 66 House Democrats boycotted the Capitol, in an effort to deny House Republicans a quorum, but the Minnesota Republican Party only submitted 29 recall repetitions. Democrats feared Republicans would use their temporary 67-66 majority to prevent the seating of DFL Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee, so they sought to deny House Republicans a quorum. The Minnesota Supreme Court in January ruled that 68 members must be present for a quorum, so the 67 House Republican members were unable to conduct business on their own. Democratic-Farmer-Labor House members eventually conceded the speakership in order to come to a power-sharing agreement and seat Tabke, who won a narrow contest marred by missing ballots. 'Now hopefully we can just focus on getting the work of the legislative session done and put that rancor and division behind us, understanding that none of that needed to happen in the first place,' DFL House leader Melissa Hortman said Monday. Minnesota's recall process is lengthy, and it's difficult to successfully recall a lawmaker because Minnesota's law sets a high standard. Republicans based their recall petitions on House Democrats' Capitol absence and an early swearing-in ceremony they held before the legislative session began, which they argued was illegitimate and a type of malfeasance that met the standards for recall. In her ruling, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote that recalls require a 'serious malfeasance or nonfeasance,' which the petitions didn't meet. 'The quorum-related allegations rest on the allegation that each of the state representatives failed 'to perform [their] constitutional and inherent duty to represent [their] constituents by not attending the initial organizing session and all subsequent sessions thereafter of the Minnesota House of Representatives,'' Hudson wrote. The petitions also conceded, however, that Democrats eventually returned to the Capitol on Feb. 6, which undermines the seriousness of their absence. 'Critically, this concession also fatally undermines the alleged seriousness of any nonfeasance as alleged in the petitions, which is an independent requirement for recall,' Hudson wrote. The allegation of malfeasance for the early swearing-in ceremony is also unfounded, Hudson wrote, because the petitions didn't successfully show that the swearing-in ceremony was held unlawfully, and previous chief justices have dismissed recall petitions for oath-related arguments. 'Each of the recall petitions is dismissed for failure to allege specific facts that, if proven, would constitute grounds for recall,' Hudson wrote.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Supreme Court dismisses recall petitions against House Democrats who boycotted session
The house chamber stands half-empty as Democratic representatives boycott the session on the first day of the 94th legislative session at the Minnesota State Capitol Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer. The Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the 29 recall petitions against the House Democrats who boycotted the beginning of the legislative session earlier this year, ruling the allegations failed to meet the level of 'serious malfeasance or nonfeasance' that's needed for a successful recall. The Minnesota Republican Party last month filed recall petitions against 29 House Democrats for being absent from the Capitol for three weeks at the start of the legislative session. All 66 House Democrats boycotted the Capitol, in an effort to deny House Republicans a quorum, but the Minnesota Republican Party only submitted 29 recall repetitions. Democrats feared Republicans would use their temporary 67-66 majority to prevent the seating of DFL Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee, so they sought to deny House Republicans a quorum. The Minnesota Supreme Court in January ruled that 68 members must be present for a quorum, so the 67 House Republican members were unable to conduct business on their own. Democratic-Farmer-Labor House members eventually conceded the speakership in order to come to a power-sharing agreement and seat Tabke, who won a narrow contest marred by missing ballots. 'Now hopefully we can just focus on getting the work of the legislative session done and put that rancor and division behind us, understanding that none of that needed to happen in the first place,' DFL House leader Melissa Hortman said Monday. Minnesota's recall process is lengthy, and it's difficult to successfully recall a lawmaker because Minnesota's law sets a high standard. Republicans based their recall petitions on House Democrats' Capitol absence and an early swearing-in ceremony they held before the legislative session began, which they argued was illegitimate and a type of malfeasance that met the standards for recall. In her ruling, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote that recalls require a 'serious malfeasance or nonfeasance,' which the petitions didn't meet. 'The quorum-related allegations rest on the allegation that each of the state representatives failed 'to perform [their] constitutional and inherent duty to represent [their] constituents by not attending the initial organizing session and all subsequent sessions thereafter of the Minnesota House of Representatives,'' Hudson wrote. The petitions also conceded, however, that Democrats eventually returned to the Capitol on Feb. 6, which undermines the seriousness of their absence. 'Critically, this concession also fatally undermines the alleged seriousness of any nonfeasance as alleged in the petitions, which is an independent requirement for recall,' Hudson wrote. The allegation of malfeasance for the early swearing-in ceremony is also unfounded, Hudson wrote, because the petitions didn't successfully show that the swearing-in ceremony was held unlawfully, and previous chief justices have dismissed recall petitions for oath-related arguments. 'Each of the recall petitions is dismissed for failure to allege specific facts that, if proven, would constitute grounds for recall,' Hudson wrote.
