Hackbarth suspended
GOP House Speaker-elect Kurt Zellers announced today that he's suspending GOP Rep. Tom Hackbarth's role as chair of the House Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Policy & Finance Committee. The announcement comes just one day after it became public that St. Paul police confiscated a loaded handgun from Hackbarth after he was spotted with the weapon holstered to his hip in the parking lot of the Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul (More on that here). Hackbarth has a permit to carry a concealed handgun. He wasn't arrested or charged with a crime.
Here's the statement from Zellers:
Due to an incident on Tuesday, November 16, State Representative Tom Hackbarth has been suspended from any current and pending leadership roles within the House GOP Caucus. The suspension will remain in effect until the issue is fully resolved.
I'm following up to find out what "fully resolved" means since St. Paul Police say he won't be charged with a crime. One potential issue would be if an ethics complaint is filed against Hackbarth.
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