Minnesota’s lieutenant governor Peggy Flanagan flouted the regulation by means of failing to carry quarterly conferences on lawmakers’ protection sooner than the assassination of state Space Speaker Melissa Hortman, prompting harsh backlash from colleagues within the legislature for the “shameful” oversight.
Flanagan, who’s now operating for US Senate to switch retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), handiest held round part of the specified conferences of the Minnesota Advisory Committee on Capitol Space Safety during the last 5 years.
Ignoring the state-mandated briefings on safety for lawmakers has now drawn fireplace from Republicans within the Minnesota legislature — and may end up a stumbling block to Flanagan as she seeks upper place of business.
“The Advisory Committee on Capitol Space Safety is designed to make certain that legislators, guests, and group of workers on the Capitol are saved as protected as conceivable, however we will be able to’t satisfy that accountability if the chair refuses to in truth name conferences as required by means of regulation,” Minnesota Space GOP Whip Jim Nash instructed The Publish.
“It’s extremely irresponsible, and admittedly simply complicated, that the elected respectable who chairs the committee and has her place of business throughout the Capitol complicated, refuses to take the accountability of this team significantly,” Nash mentioned.
“There are numerous conversations available and selections to be made, particularly this 12 months, and the truth that she has saved this committee at the again burner for years is shameful.”
Flanagan gained re-election with Walz in 2022, however the governor is now looking for a 3rd time period. She is recently double-digit proportion issues forward of Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), the opposite main declared candidate in the principle race, in a single early ballot, despite the fact that an interior Democratic survey discovered Craig would do two issues higher within the common election towards a GOP candidate.
From 2019 to 2024, the advisory panel met simply 13 occasions even supposing Minnesota regulation mandates that the committee “shall meet quarterly,” in step with its annual stories, which means a minimum of 24 conferences will have to were convened by means of Flanagan, who serves as its chair.
Not one of the conferences held sooner than 2023 have detailed knowledge to be had on-line, and simply two — one in 2023 and one in 2024 — have their mins publicly to be had. Handiest one of the vital stories arrived sooner than its Jan. 15 time limit, in step with KTTC, which first reported at the problems.
Up to now in 2025, 5 conferences were held.
Requested previous this 12 months about now not conserving the security conferences, Flanagan declined to elaborate however mentioned: “We take this very significantly and that’s how we’re going to transport ahead.”
“We’ve got persevered to place out stories and all I will say is that going ahead, we can be sure that we’re assembly with better frequency,” she added.
Minnesota legislators renewed requires the security conferences after Hortman and her husband had been fatally shot by means of alleged murderer Vance Boelter at their house in Brooklyn Park within the early hours of the morning on June 14.
Boelter, 57, has additionally been charged with taking pictures state Sen. John Hoffman and his spouse, Yvette, at their Champlin house hours sooner than allegedly killing Hortman.
The couple miraculously survived regardless of the suspect, who was once dressed in a masks and dressed as a police officer, firing 17 photographs: 9 on the senator and 8 at his spouse.
A letter left in the back of in an SUV reportedly claimed Boelter allegedly gained secret US army coaching and have been requested by means of Walz to hold out the murders and in addition kill Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) so the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate may run for her seat.
Regardless that the lawmaker safety advisory committee has drawn essentially the most scrutiny, it’s now not the one committee Flanagan runs that has run afoul of its quarterly mandated conferences.
The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness (MICH) has additionally failed to carry a minimum of 4 conferences according to 12 months since Flanagan took place of business in January 2019, notching 15 of its required 24 conferences by means of the top of 2024.
It’s unclear if that can have averted any other disaster involving safety on the state Capitol development in St. Paul, when a unadorned mentally unwell guy wandered simply into the legislature and fell asleep within the state Senate president’s chair overdue one Friday in July.
“The person made statements indicating a trust that he was once the Governor, amongst different remarks, and was once discovered disrobed,” the executive Space sergeant-at-arms, Lori Hodapp, instructed lawmakers in an e-mail later, in step with the Related Press.
Courtroom information published that the person, Dominic Terell Peace, 36, who was once later charged with housebreaking, was once sought after in Wisconsin for violating the phrases of his probation on different fees and a warrant was once filed for his extradition, in step with KSTP.
Reps for Flanagan didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
