In response to news that Senator David Tomassoni (D-Chisholm) has accepted a position as the head of an Iron Range lobbying group, Republicans and the news media have raised questions about what appears to be a blatant conflict of interest. Republican Leader David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) released the following statement:

“It should go without saying that a sitting Minnesota Senator cannot take a job as a lobbyist and expect to keep his seat in the Senate.

Unfortunately, this is what we’ve come to expect from the Senate DFL Caucus. They were caught cheating in the 2012 election and eleven of their members were part of the largest fine in Minnesota campaign finance history. Then, they voted to raise their own pay. And now we’re going to have to add a wing to their brand new office building just to handle all of the work of the Senate Ethics Committee.

If this was a trial balloon, Senator Tomassoni needs to call it back.”