Representative-elect Erik Mortensen called out the double standard in the state’s enforcement of coronavirus regulations in a video released Tuesday.
The Shakopee Republican recently invited Attorney General Keith Ellison and Gov. Tim Walz to his illicit Thanksgiving celebration scheduled for Wednesday night. In response, Ellison sent Mortenson a brief letter declining his invitation.
“This is no time to be cavalier and reckless regarding COVID-19. I urge you to reconsider your decision to start off your career as an elected official by potentially exposing neighbors, constituents, and loved ones to COVID-19 and willfully violating lawful executive orders,” said Ellison.
Meanwhile, a restaurant owner in Lynd, Minnesota, was threatened by Ellison’s office with fines, jail time and a lawsuit for planning to open for in-person service Friday night.
“It essentially says we’re not going to do anything about it. So he seems to be giving me some sort of special treatment that I’ve certainly never asked for,” Mortensen said of the letter he received from Ellison.
“So let’s compare that letter from Keith Ellison to me as an elected official to what they have sent a business owner down in Lynd, Minnesota,” he continued, referring to Havens Garden owner Larvita McFarquhar.
“This letter to this private Minnesotan says there’s a $25,000 fine for each occurrence and on top of that an additional $3,000 fine or imprisonment for a year if she dares disobey this executive order,” Mortensen said. “It’s shameful that they have two different standards.”
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Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
