State Senator John Jasinski (R-Faribault) issued the following statement in response to the guilty verdicts in the felony burglary trial of Sen. Nicole Mitchell (D-Woodbury).

“Today’s guilty verdicts confirm what we’ve known for over a year: Senator Nicole Mitchell committed serious felonies and has no business serving in the Minnesota Senate. From the beginning, this case wasn’t just about one senator’s criminal conduct. It was about Senate Democrats being so willing to ignore that conduct and the integrity of the Senate in order to protect their power.

Democrats had every opportunity to do the right thing. They could have called on Senator Mitchell to resign right away. They could have joined Republicans in removing her from the Senate. Instead, they did the opposite. They kept her in office, used her deciding vote to push through their controversial and extreme agenda, and refused to compromise with Republicans. That agenda is in law today because they used the votes of someone who is now a convicted felon. Every single one of those votes, and everything that passed at the end of 2024, should now be called into question and re-examined. 

Senator Mitchell didn’t stay in office to serve her district. She stayed because Democrats needed her vote, and because she wanted to keep collecting her taxpayer-funded salary and benefits.

This entire episode has been a disgrace. Her actions were selfish. Minnesota Democrats shamefully protected her. The Senate’s integrity has suffered because of it. It’s time to restore credibility to this chamber. Senator Mitchell must resign immediately.”