An ethics complaint against Rep. John Thompson was dismissed Friday after he agreed to apologize for calling one of his Republican colleagues racist.
Rep. Eric Lucero filed the complaint last month when he was repeatedly interrupted by Thompson while speaking on the House floor.
“I know you’re a racist,” Thompson twice told Lucero, according to video from the exchange.
Lucero’s complaint, signed by five fellow Republicans, describes Thompson’s actions as a “slanderous outburst” that “served to impugn Rep. Lucero’s character.”
“Rep. Thompson’s actions directed at a sitting Member on the floor of the House of Representatives bring absolute dishonor and disrepute to this body. Rep. Thompson’s comments were destructive to the integrity of the body and its adopted code of conduct,” the complaint said.
The House Ethics Committee was originally scheduled to hold a full hearing on the complaint last Friday but Thompson was granted a delay while he sought legal representation.
“This ethics complaint is about protecting and preserving the integrity of this great institution we have the privilege of serving in,” Lucero said last week. “This is about the reputation of the Minnesota House of Representatives. John Thompson is a disgrace to this institution.”
On Friday, the committee announced that Thompson and Lucero have agreed to an “alternative resolution” that will involve Thompson apologizing to Lucero on the House floor when the body reconvenes.
Thompson announced earlier this week that he won’t resign amid allegations that he abused multiple women throughout the early 2000s.
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.
