GOP House Majority Whip Tom Emmer calls for ethics investigation into DFL Rep. Angie Craig's town hall stops
Amid Democratic Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig's town hall stop on Wednesday in St. Cloud, Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer — who represents the area —wants the House to launch an ethics investigation into her.
Craig is among several Democrats, along with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who have been making town hall stops in GOP-led districts to highlight the absence of Republican leaders at local events during the first months of President Trump's second term.
"Every single Minnesotan deserves someone from Washington to come here and tell you what is happening," Craig told the crowd Wednesday in St. Cloud.
On Wednesday, Emmer — and fellow House Republican delegation members Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber — sent letters to the House Committee on Ethics and the Committee on House Administration urging a review of possible ethics violations by Craig.
They claim Craig is using her taxpayer-funded office to bring attention to campaign events and fundraising.
"This misuse of public resources erodes the trust Americans place in their elected officials and undermines the integrity of our institutions, which is why we are calling on the House Ethics Committee and the Committee on House Administration to thoroughly review Rep. Craig's conduct," the letter states.
Craig's office released this statement on the matter on Wednesday:
"Minnesota's Republican Representatives have stood idly by while the Administration has started a global trade war, cut thousands of jobs and run roughshod over our government agencies and Minnesota's middle class. While her Republican colleagues have refused to show up and answer to their constituents in person, Representative Craig is actively showing up in their districts. Once again, her Republican colleagues are trying to avoid doing their job."
Last month, Craig told WCCO she will make a decision "in the next few weeks" about whether she will run again to represent her district in the south metro, or whether she will run to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, who announced in February that she won't seek reelection next year.
