(Sen. Eric Lucero left, Sen. Karin Housley right)
(photo submitted by Senate GOP Communications Dept.)
The Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethics met May 7th to consider the complaint filed against DFL Senator Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury, related to her arrest and subsequent charge of first-degree felony burglary. Sen. Mitchell is accused of breaking into her stepmother’s home in the early morning hours of April 22nd.
Republican Senators Eric Lucero of St. Michael, and Karin Housley of Stillwater were the co-leads in the hearing to present information and answer questions pertaining to probable cause that Sen. Mitchell violated Minnesota Senate Rules of ethical standards. The complaint is signed by 11 members of the Senate, all Republicans. Senators Lucero and Housley were the only two who spoke on behalf of the complainants.
Senator Lucero summarized the position of those signing the complaint in his closing…
“It is never easy to stand in judgment of a colleague, however, our responsibility requires us to make difficult decisions. We are not asking the Ethics Committee to serve as a court of law. We are asking them to uphold the integrity of the Senate and restore public trust,” Sen. Lucero said. “The reason we work so hard to uphold the public’s trust and abide by ethical conduct the public should be able to rely on what their representatives say to the media. If the Ethics Committee doesn’t trust what Sen. Mitchell and her attorneys have said to the media about what happened on April 22, then I believe we have our answer as to whether her conduct upholds the highest standards of trust and transparency to the public.”
Senator Mitchell did not speak during the hearing. Her attorney invoked Sen. Mitchell’s 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination on nearly every question asked.
Following the lengthy presentations and questioning, The ethics panel did not vote to find probable cause to continue the immediate investigation into Mitchell’s behavior. The decision was to make no decision until criminal proceedings are complete. The panel could only agree to meet again two days after Senator Mitchell’s June 10th court hearing to assess the status of the complaint.
Unless something unexpected develops, it would appear that Mitchell will be able to vote on any and all measures that come before the senate between now and the end of the session.
