ST. PAUL
The future of a Senate ethics inquiry into Sen. Geoff Michel's actions after he discovered a sex scandal remains in limbo.
A Friday hearing was suspended for the full Senate to meet on unrelated business, but Chairwoman Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, never reconvened the meeting as she said would happen. She was excused from the Senate today and not available for comment.
"On advice of counsel we were asked to suspend the proceeding that evening and the leadership did have a meeting with Senate counsel this morning," Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, said. "We will see where this goes going forward."
Lawyers were concerned about testimony during the hearing hurting Senate defense of a lawsuit former Senate employee Michael Brodkorb is expected to file.
ADVERTISEMENT
Michel, R-Edina, found out in September that Brodkorb and then-Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, were having an affair. Nearly three months later, Michel and other senators confronted Koch, and she resigned as leader.
The Senate fired Brodkorb, and now he is preparing a lawsuit claiming that female Senate employees have kept their jobs after affairs with male senators.
Don Davis reports for Forum Communications Co., which owns the Herald.
