On a complaint against DFL Sen, Nicole Mitchell, action is delayed by a Minnesota Senate ethics. Nicole is accused of breaking to home of relative earlier this year. She is charged for allegedly entering her stepmother’s home illegally in April and got charged with first-degree burglary. He did so to retrieve ashes of her late father and other items. Mitchell denied any wrongdoing in this case and told that she was just trying to check on a loved one.
The Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct considered this as violation of Senate rules by betraying the public trust and thus brought the chamber into “dishonor or disrepute”. The four-member panel of Republicans and Democrats delayed the action regarding this until her next court appearance which was initially scheduled to happen on June 10 and then postponed on July 1.
Nicole’s counsel, Bruce Ringstrom Jr. told members on Wednesday, “I defer to this subcommittee as to how it does its business, but in terms of actionable information about development of the case, it’s unlikely to occur by that point.”
The subcommittee than agreed to come back with some action sooner whenever they get any information regarding this and will inform their decision on the way of proceeding with the complaint. “I think it will give a new perspective that will be relevant to the ethics committee,” said Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Princeton. “I believe the judge has a timeline of when the judge rules on that case. We still might not have that ruling by the July 25 hearing but we’re giving ourselves the opportunity to continue to weigh that.”
GOP Senators filed ethics complaint against her and at one point they also though to expel Mitchell from the chamber. But due to political pressure began mounting from her party to step down. Her attorney said she intends to stay in office as her criminal case proceeds.
Mitchell was a commander with the Air National Guard and a TV meteorologists after being elected in 2022 for her first term.