ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's Note: The attached video first aired on April 24, 2024.
An embattled Minnesota State Senator was further censured on Sunday morning after the Senate Majority Leader announced she would be relieved of her committee assignments and caucus meetings.
In a written statement, Minnesota Sen. Majority Leader Erin Murphy called the situation "tragic," and said during the legal investigation Sen. Nicole Mitchell "will be relieved of her committee assignments and removed from caucus meetings."
This comes almost a week after Sen. Mitchell was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary after prosecutors said she broke into the home of her stepmother following the recent death of her father.
Mitchell denied the charges, and she allegedly stated to police that she wanted various items of her late father's that her stepmother refused to give to her.
Police said Mitchell admitted to leaving her home in Woodbury at 1 a.m. planning to drive to the Detroit Lakes home to retrieve pictures, a flannel shirt, ashes and other items of sentimental value.
State lawmakers called for Mitchell to resign on Tuesday, including Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson. He said in part in a statement Tuesday that "This behavior is unbecoming of a member of the Legislature and she needs to resign from the Senate immediately."
Democratic Majority Leader Erin Murphy responded to the allegations and said Mitchell's alleged actions are "upsetting" and "far outside" the senator's character.
Senate Republicans filed a motion on Wednesday to immediately begin an ethics investigation. It failed after a 33-33 deadlock along straight party lines. Sen. Mitchell wasn't at that session and didn't vote remotely.
Typically, the Ethics Subcommittee has 30 days to decide whether or not to launch an investigation after receiving a formal complaint.
Republicans, who are seeking to expel Mitchell from the Senate, wanted to put the process on a fast track. They asserted that being charged with first-degree burglary, a felony charge, should disqualify her from serving even before the courts have rendered a verdict.
According to the Sunday statement from Majority Leader Murphy, Mitchell's case has been referred to the Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct.
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