Official ethics complaints often flummox state legislators. After all, the complaints force colleagues to judge -- and often punish -- colleagues.
But the DFL complaint against a former Senate leader, Republican Sen. Geoff Michel of Edina, has become particularly touchy at the Capitol.
Last week, the Senate Ethics Committee, made up of two DFLers and two Republicans, met to judge whether Michel, who was a deputy majority leader, violated Senate ethics norms in his handling of the affair between former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and former staffer Michael Brodkorb. In an afternoon session, the panel deadlocked. The GOP members didn't show up for an evening session at which discussion was supposed to resume, creating an abrupt halt to the proceedings.
Since then, Republicans have said they fear restarting deliberations because of concerns about damaging the Senate's position in a possible lawsuit from Brodkrob against the Senate. Brodkorb was fired in December the day after Koch resigned from leadership in the wake of a confrontation about the affair.
Far from the quick conclusion Republicans said they wanted on the issue, the folderol has kept the matter alive. Without some conclusion, it could give DFLers a club with which to bash GOP Senate leadership into the election season.
Every day last week, DFL Sen. Sandy Pappas, who lodged the complaint against Michel, has concluded Senate floor sessions by asking when the panel will finish its work.
The week ended without a clear answer.
"Obviously, the situation is unprecedented in front of the Senate and it certainly needs to be carefully handled. So at this point I have postponed further subcommittee meetings," Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, said during a Tuesday afternoon floor session.
Fischbach offered no more clarity to reporters.
"I'm meeting with a constituent for a few minutes and I won't be making any comment," she said as she left the Senate floor last week.
Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, then took her by the arm and began walking away from the reporters.
A reporter asked Parry if he was pulling her away. Parry responded that he had a question for her. He then hustled her into an office, worked to close the door as reporters tried to follow and one blocked the door from closing with his foot. A reporter told Parry it was a public office and he relented; then he, Fischbach and a constituent went into a back office.
Fischbach was heard asking Parry if he "had a real question," and then the door closed and reporters could hear no more.
DFLers, on the other hand, spent the week asking what they said were real questions about the resumption of the ethics panel. But they also admitted that the lack of action was to their advantage.
"We're here to make it last another day, right? Absolutely. We are going to continue to talk about it," said DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin at mid-week. "I'm not clear why they would continue to drag this out. It is not in the best interest of their party."
In the meantime, Senate Majority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, said the issue will just have to wait. "We not going to bring the Senate into a situation where we may damage [ourselves] from the standpoint of the lawsuit," he said.
