MINNESOTA DEMAGOGUES EXPOSED: PLEASE PAY OUR BILLS AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE, PART II

When former Senate Republican Caucus Communications Director Michael Brodkorb started the process of suing the Minnesota Senate, Senate leadership hired the law firm of Hoffman Larkin to represent them. Brodkorb was fired within a day of news of a sex scandal with then Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch (his boss). In his suit Brodkorb claims that female staffer who had affairs were treated differently.

He's threatening two things. First, asking for punitive damages from MNGOP Senate Leadership. Secondly, to put female staffers on the stand to testify about how their affairs were handled.

The main attorney, Dayle Nolan, charges $330 per hour and when support staff and other associated fees pile up, it gets expensive.

To get around Senate rules that require public hearings over legal expenditures over $50,000, MNGOP Senate Leadership asked Hoffman Larkin to submit for just under $50K. This turned out to be the first three months worth of fees.

Now comes the next bill:

The fees in the current bill covered only the period ending in the middle of March.  They do not cover the hours Nolan sat in a Senate ethics hearing involving Sen. Geoff Michel's handling of the Brodkorb dismissal. It later was revealed that Brodkorb was the unnamed staffer who was involved in a personal relationship with his supervisor, then Republican Majority Leader Amy Koch.

The Michel hearings in late March and April ended without a decision. They incurred a minimum of 10 hours of legal time, followed by subsequent legal work. Nolan's hourly rate is $330.

Furthermore, the Senate is only authorized to cover legal fees of up to $50,000.  The rules committee, an 11-member panel chaired by Senjem, would need to authorize another appropriation to cover the second bill, which the Senate expects to receive shortly.

Why should Minnesota taxpayers pay for Senate Republicans to defend themselves from the disgraced former sleaze blogger, former Deputy Party Chair and former Senate MNGOP Caucus Communications Director?

Shouldn't the MNGOP pay for this? Oh ... sorry. I forgot that they're broke.

I guess its gonna have to be the taxpayers, then.