What a difference a day makes … just 24 little hours.
On Monday morning, Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn was one of the five Republicans who introduced a bill to declare “Trump Derangement Syndrome” an “official” mental illness, on the grounds that they believe you’d have to be crazy not to love Donald Trump.
On Monday afternoon, Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn was arrested for (allegedly) soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Must have been the deep state?
According to the Bloomington Police Department, which was apparently carrying out some kind of “To Catch A Predator”-style sting operation, Eichorn “thought he was talking to a 16-year-old female” and arranged to meet her — but was instead surprised by a group of police officers who arrested him instead. No word yet on if he brought any Mike’s Hard Lemonade with him.
Eichorn, who is married with four children, has presented himself as a big “law and order” type guy. For the last year, he has been railing on his Facebook page against DFL state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who was arrested in April of last year for allegedly trying to break into her stepmother’s home in order to retrieve some objects of sentimental value, including her father’s ashes.
Not that we condone burglary or anything, but trying to retrieve a loved one’s ashes is a somewhat more understandable crime than trying to pay a 16-year-old for sex. Then again, we’d also say that it’s a tad more deranged to pay a 16-year-old for sex than it is to criticize the president of the United States.
Naturally, Eichorn’s a big fan of the police … when they’re not arresting him for the solicitation of a minor.
“As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someone’s child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up,” Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges told reporters, adding that he hopes the Minnesota Legislature will “take this case and this type of conduct more seriously.”
The “Orange Jumpsuit District” appears to be some kind of branding for the Bloomington Police, as well as a YouTube TV show they were trying to do.
“The felony allegation against Senator Eichorn is deeply disturbing, and raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents.” Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said in a statement. Even some of his Republican colleagues in the Minnesota Senate as well as in the House have since called for him to resign.
So far, formal charges have not been filed, but Sen. Eichorn was booked into the Bloomington jail and remains in custody.
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.
And OPEN THREAD!
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