Editor's note of correction: We left poor Jeremy Munson, R-Lake Crystal, off our headline and have corrected the error. It's not a small matter, as a new headline in the Mankato Free Press underscores: House to investigate Akland, Munson over state Capitol rally. [End correction]
In At State Capitol, several hundred Trump supporters decry certification, move toward governor's residence, Stephen Montemayor reports for the Star Tribune:
They cheered and sang, and they talked about armed revolt. They posed for pictures and wore Colonial-era costumes, and they laughed when they found out a mob breached the U.S. Capitol Building.
The roughly 500 supporters of President Donald Trump who gathered outside Minnesota's fenced-off State Capitol on Wednesday mixed violent rhetoric with jubilation at a four-hour rally that later moved to the governor's residence amid chaos in Washington. . . .
Organizers from the group Hold The Line dubbed the event "Storm The Capitol," though they cautioned on Facebook that breaching the fence would result in arrests. Instead, they saved their energy for talk of armed revolution and charges of treason for those who stood in Trump's way. . . .
Public officials and judges were singled out throughout Wednesday's rally, as was the usage of face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19. At one point, newly elected Rep. Susan Akland, a St. Peter Republican and a registered nurse, told the crowd she was happy to see them unmasked.
State Reps. Eric Lucero, R-Dayton, and Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, stoked chants against a state court judge who approved Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon's agreement to waive witness requirements and extend the deadline for counting mail ballots.
In addition to Akland, Lucero and Drazkowski, Representatives Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, and Glenn Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe, appear in the video by Mark Vancleave that accompanies the article (watch the video here or here).
On the Facebook event page for Wednesday's rally, Hold The Line MN made clear that this was an auxiliary rally for the main event in St. Paul: "Be a part of history. Get to DC or St. Paul on January 6th, 2021." Here's the graphic:
If only their compatriots in DC had followed the advice in the final sentence: "We do not advise any attempts to breach the perimerer or occupy the premises.
What struck us about the lawmakers speaking in front of the capitol was four of the five state representatives are named in the letter in the Journal of the House: Eight members protest & dissent those who signed Paxton letter:
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 11 of the Minnesota Constitution, we the undersigned members of the Minnesota House of Representatives register our protest and dissent against eight members of the Minnesota House of Representatives for their endorsement of a seditious, unfounded, and divisive lawsuit brought by the State of Texas in a vain attempt to nullify the fair, lawful, and appropriate election of President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
On December 10, 2020, the below mentioned members caused to be sent to the Honorable Ken Paxton, Attorney General of the State of Texas, a letter endorsing the lawsuit brought by that State, and in this letter impugned both the State of Minnesota and its duly elected Secretary of State. The letter said:
"Considering the totality of the circumstances, we believe that Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon knowingly and deliberately conducted an illegal election by virtue of his manipulation of the law. As legislators, we were dismissed and our authority was overruled by an individual that was not interested in following the law."
This statement was made without evidence, was incorrect either as a statement of fact or of law, and brought dishonor upon the members who made this statement.
The 2020 election in Minnesota was conducted with the highest probity, skill, and accuracy. This is a statement of fact. To deny this statement is itself a moment of dishonor in the career of these elected officials.
These members were:
Representative Steve Drazkowski
Representative Jeremy Munson
Representative Tim Miller
Representative Cal Bahr
Representative Eric Lucero
Representative Mary Franson
Representative Glenn Gruenhagen
Representative Shane Mekeland
We the undersigned find the behavior of these members reprehensible, and their endorsement of a lawsuit rejected by the entirety of the Supreme Court of the United States of America as a sad and divisive moment that was harmful to the sound workings of the American polity. We urge these members and their supporters to repent of their foolish statements, acquaint themselves with the basic facts of fair elections, and to apologize in the total fullness of the knowledge of their graceless lack of honest, comity, and wisdom.
It's a pity that Akland, with a mere day of serving in the legislature, is taking up with such characters.
Related post: Pro-Trump activist concerned about MN precinct caucus training has inspirational backstory
Images: Mary Franson, still from video by Mark Vancleave, Star Tribune (above). Facebook event poster, Hold The Line MN (below).
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