SAINT PAUL, Minn. – A state senator arrested for burglary last year in Detroit Lakes will not be expelled from the Minnesota Senate.
A motion to expel DFL State Senator Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury was set aside after a tie vote.
Mitchell won’t be tried on the burglary charge until the legislature adjourns. She says she was trying to get items belonging to her late father at her stepmother’s home and this all is a misunderstanding.
“Senator Mitchell is abusing her status as a Senator to delay her trial and deny justice for her victim. Last year we heard time and time again how she deserves her day in court before we can decide on her status, and she has played both the judicial system and the Senate Rules to her own – and only her own – advantage. She knew her trial was scheduled during session and yet waited until session started to request the delay. The Senate should not be complicit in this legal strategy and pretend its hands are tied in the matter. We can and we should vote to expel Sen. Mitchell and let the courts take over the matter as soon as possible,” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks said.
