Deadlocked House rules panel rejects impeachment resolution against Walz, Ellison

Gov. Tim Walz will not be running the state in 2027 and, depending on results of the November election, Attorney General Keith Ellison may be out of his office as well.

However, a resolution on impeachment investigations of a state officer before the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee Wednesday could begin a process that may oust both constitutional officers much sooner.

But neither man needs to polish up their resume after the resolution was rejected along party lines after numerous impassioned, voice-sometimes-raising, anger-driven, partisan talking point-filled statements by members on both sides of the aisle.

House Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska (R-Ramsey), the committee co-chair, cited the amount of fraud in state social services programs during Walz’s time in office as a genesis for the resolution. He also expressed concerns about Ellison including a 2021 meeting with a group tied to the Feeding Our Future network where he was heard offering to help them push back against state agencies, and receiving campaign donations from people at that meeting nine days later, although it was returned four years later.

“What most Minnesotans are demanding, especially today on tax day, is accountability for the multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal that’s embarrassing our state,” he said. “… In any well-functioning business, a multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal would result in the CEO either resigning in disgrace or being fired and certainly would result in the general counsel or the attorney in charge of that company resigning in disgrace or being fired.”

Niska said the only power the House has for accountability is impeachment.

Added Rep. Ben Davis (R-Merrifield), who sponsors the resolution pertaining to Ellison: “We have an historic amount of fraud taking place in our state; historic actions are warranted.”

DFLers said the proposal is not that.

Calling the whole thing a “simple, stupid distraction,” “garbage,” and a “political circus,” Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL-Mpls) said the Legislature should be focusing on other issues.

“Have there been crimes, charges and convictions for our executives? No. Do we impeach Minnesota’s elected officials just because we don’t like them? No. Have there been criminals and scamming businesses that have ripped off our government? Yes. And are there absolute solutions to prevent that from happening in the future? Also yes. We could be working on those instead of doing this and listening to people just air grievances against Keith Ellison and Tim Walz.

Rep. Mike Wiener and Rep. Ben Davis offer support April 15 for a resolution on impeachment investigations that was before the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)

“We actually have a fraud committee that could be doing this, but they haven’t heard any bills to actually crack down on fraud, so I don’t know what they’re doing either. This is exactly the kind of political stunt that has taken over our politics. … This is an insane waste of time. I can’t believe this is what the Republican caucus is choosing to spend their limited committee time on.”

Rep. Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield) said it’s “tough to take this seriously.” In 15 sessions of being a member or legislative staffer, Rep. Nathan Coulter (DFL-Bloomington) calls the resolution “the most hare-brained thing I think I have ever seen.”

“Holding people accountable for $9 billion of fraud I don’t see as hare brained and I don’t think the people of Minnesota do either,” Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover) said. “… The people of this state want accountability.”

The resolution calls for the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee — the lone committee where Republicans have more members that DFLers — to conduct an impeachment investigation into “state officers” and report back to the House by May 1, including “resolutions, articles of impeachment, or other recommendations as it deems proper.”

A fraud-focused resolution against Walz states the governor “has engaged in corrupt conduct in office by violating his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the laws of this state.”

Walz did so, per the resolution, “by knowingly concealing or permitting others to conceal widespread fraud within Minnesota state-administered programs despite repeated warnings, audits, reports, and public indicators of systematic abuse,” “failing to faithfully execute the laws of the State of Minnesota, especially with respect to laws governing stewardship of public money,” and “by placing political consideration above lawful administration.”

The resolution against Ellison is for “corrupt conduct in office and for crimes and misdemeanors.”

Examples in the resolution include: the attorney general has violated his oath of office by “undermining protections for religious liberty and worship,” making “representations implying that political or financial support would be met with favorable treatment or protection connected to his official role,” and that he “exercised or signaled law enforcement discretion based on political or ideological alignment.”