(StraightNews.org) – Minnesota Democrats are calling for a State Senator’s resignation after prosecutors charged her with first-degree burglary. Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, issued a statement saying everyone is accountable for their actions, including fellow Democrats. He noted that the Senator has the right to state her case in court but argued that her “continued refusal to take responsibility” is proving a distraction for lawmakers. Mr. Martin advised Nicole Mitchell to step down and focus on her legal challenges.
Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz agreed and told reporters he believes she should resign and confront her personal issues. The State Senator has already been removed from her committee positions but refuses to step down.
The scandal began on April 22 when neighbors of Senator Mitchell’s stepmother made a 911 call at around 3 am reporting an intruder. When police arrived, they saw Senator Mitchell dressed in black, wearing a black hat, carrying a sock-covered torch, and holding a rucksack containing a laptop and identification. She told police on the scene that she was forced to take drastic action to retrieve some personal items and her recently deceased father’s ashes. Mitchell and her stepmother are estranged, and the lawmaker claimed her stepmother would not speak to her.
The former Air Force officer and TV meteorologist later took to Facebook, however, and insisted she did not break in but went to her stepmother’s house to check on her well-being because she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, prosecutors brought burglary charges, and she awaits a June court hearing.
Some Democrat colleagues have rushed to Mitchell’s defense, saying resignation calls are premature and politically-motivated. Four fellow Senators, for instance, published a Facebook post saying the courts should be allowed to determine the facts of the case before any decision on the Senator’s future was made.
However, the Senate ethics committee could pursue Mitchell’s expulsion, and according to some experts, a 10,000-resident petition for her removal could also make her position untenable.
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