Good morning. Anybody else caught off guard by the end of school?
A fraught prosecution of a State Patrol officer in the killing of Ricky Cobb II won’t go forward. The Star Tribune broke the news last evening that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office will dismiss murder charges against Ryan Londregan. She cited a new analysis of video from the scene of the July 2023 incident and comments from the trooper about fearing for his partner’s life. "This is not a situation of us backing down," Moriarty told reporter Andy Mannix. "It is a situation of recognizing that, given all the barriers that are put in place in these types of cases and the new information that came up, we just can't ethically go forward.” It has been a controversial case from the start and earned Moriarty plenty of pushback, resistance from leaders in both parties and pullout of key use-of-force witnesses the prosecution thought would help secure a conviction. The political capital Moriarty expended was immense and the dismissal of the case is unlikely to please either those seeking more police accountability or the law enforcement groups that believe split-second decisions are being unfairly scrutinized.
Former President Donald Trump is doing what many convicted defendants wouldn’t: Railing against the judge who will sentence him ahead of that sentencing. Trump made more comments over the weekend about his view he was unfairly prosecuted in New York, where a jury convicted him on 34 felony counts that seem likely to result in at least probation but possibly jail time as well. Trump told Fox News , a friendly outlet to his cause, that he’d be OK with house arrest and maybe jail. It could be used as a further rallying cry to his base, which is pouring money and effort into his campaign after the conviction. His first conviction campaign rally is set for Sunday in Las Vegas.
Should Democrats take the conviction off the table by seeking leniency for Trump? That’s what Rep. Dean Phillips thinks. The Minnesota Democratic congressman posted on social media that New York’s Democratic governor should pardon Trump “for the good of the country.” After being flooded with negative responses to his suggestion, Phillips followed up with a second post : “You think pardoning is stupid? Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are entirely different.) It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”
We’re watching the closing of candidate filing tomorrow and the potential for Senate resignations that could trigger November-timed special elections. I interviewed Kelly Morrison, a state senator from Deephaven, for Politics Friday . She is weighing whether to resign midway through her term because she’s the likely DFL nominee for the open 3rd Congressional District House seat. If she resigns it would probably come by week’s end. “I want to make sure I do what’s best for my constituents and voters in my district, but obviously I’ll be making a decision soon,” Morrison told me. “Having a candidate on the November ballot allows more voters to participate. There would be higher voter turnout in a November election rather than a special election.” Sen. Nicole Mitchell has said she won’t resign despite calls from prominent DFLers who say her burglary case has become a distraction. But she has also gotten backup from some of her Senate DFL colleagues, who say the pressure to force her out is premature and driven solely by political considerations. Her Woodbury-area seat could be an attractive target for Republicans as they try to flip the 34-33 Senate in their favor.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar coasted to the DFL endorsement at the weekend state convention. Dana Ferguson reports that there was an attempt by a candidate to oppose the three-term incumbent, but his nomination didn’t stand and Klobuchar was backed by acclamation. She is heavily favored this fall even without her GOP opponent known. But Democrats are counting on her to drive up turnout for the rest of the ticket.
There were protests outside the convention and efforts inside the hall to raise attention to the death and destruction in Gaza. Dana reports that a couple hundred people demonstrated near the DFL convention. It’s a major area of tension within the Democratic Party and could become a liability in November for President Joe Biden. The groups are pressuring the administration to secure a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in their war that’s now almost eight months in. Minnesota is set to send the largest delegation of uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Roughly 20 percent of those who cast ballots in the DFL presidential primary in March voted for an uncommitted option. | 