The Senate Ethics Panel is withholding the investigation into Senator Mitchell to expedite the legal process

A Minnesota Senate ethics panel will wait for developments in DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s criminal case before deciding whether to launch a full investigation.

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Mitchell is charged with burglary after she allegedly broke into her mother-in-law’s home on the morning of April 22 in Detroit Lakes. Two days later, Republican senators filed an ethics complaint.

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The Ethics Commission — made up of two Republicans and two Democrats — met for the first time Tuesday and could recommend anything from a reprimand to impeachment.

Mitchell’s hearing began several hours later than scheduled, and deputies didn’t receive many answers about the night in question.

Through her attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., Mitchell repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment.

“Mr. Ringstrom, do you feel that your clients’ actions on April 22, 2024 met the highest ethical standards as embodied in the Minnesota Constitution, state law and Senate rules?” asked Senator Jeremy Miller (R-Winona).

“She advocates for the Fifth Amendment,” Ringstrom responded.

According to the criminal complaint, Mitchell said she broke into her stepmother’s home because her father had recently passed away and she wanted to preserve items of sentimental value, including his ashes.

But Republican lawmakers on the committee pointed out the differences between what she told police and the Facebook statement she made after the crime, in which she said she was evaluating a family member whose health was deteriorating due to Alzheimer’s -Illness worsens.

Mitchell’s attorney argued that the matter must be dealt with in criminal court before a full investigation into the ethics complaint can move forward.

“Conducting an ethics investigation after the criminal investigation seems appropriate, but by conducting an ethics investigation before the criminal trial, you are engaging in a witch hunt,” Ringstrom said.

Miller maintained that the committee’s job was not to determine whether Mitchell was guilty of a crime, but rather to decide whether she had violated the Senate’s ethical standards.

“We are not here to be judge and jury,” Miller said. “We don’t all have to be lawyers. We are here to determine whether any of our colleagues have violated the ethical standards of the Minnesota State Senate.”

After hearing arguments from Republican complainants and Mitchell’s attorney, committee members voted several times on how to proceed but struggled to reach agreement.

Both DFL members of the committee, Sens. Bobby Joe Champion and Mary Kunesh, supported waiting until after the conclusion of the criminal case, or at least until after Mitchell’s next court date on June 10. The two Republicans on the committee, Miller and Sen. Andrew Mathews, said there was probable cause and urged the investigation to continue Wednesday.

After a brief closed-door meeting, the committee returned and voted to continue negotiations on June 12. They also agreed to meet again if anything significant emerged by then.