Ramsey County paid Thompson $43,380 to participate in meetings, offer ‘other professional services’

Rep. John Thompson was paid $100 an hour by Ramsey County to prepare for and participate in meetings about equity, county records suggest.

Rep. John Thompson speaks with reporters at the Hennepin County Courthouse in July after a jury found him guilty of obstruction. (Rebecca Brannon/Twitter)

State Rep. John Thompson and his company Fight for Justice Enterprises LLC have received more than $40,000 from Ramsey County since 2020, sometimes at a rate of $100 per hour.

It is unclear exactly what Thompson and his company were paid to do. Alpha News reached out to the county seeking clarification. PR director John Siqveland responded, sharing links to programs that Thompson was involved with, like the Equity Action Circle and Transforming Systems Together, as well as PDFs of the invoices Thompson sent to the county. However, the invoiced items are not well described — neither are his roles in the programs.

Most items on the invoices have one-word descriptions like “meeting” or “prep.” Several pages just display the amount Thompson invoiced the county along with a list of unexplained work hours that cost up to $100 per hour.

Thompson started receiving payments in 2020 and was also paid in 2021 but has not received any money from the county this year. One of the payments was wired to his company account just days after the infamous protest he led where he implored attendees to burn down the town of Hugo outside the home of the former Minneapolis police union president. The payments ended shortly after his own party asked him to resign following the discovery of past domestic abuse allegations.

All the payments he received are also reflected in the online county checkbook, earmarked “other professional services” (excluding $30 earmarked “interest”).

Thompson and his company have received a total of 24 payments from the county.

Payments to Thompson 2020-2021:
Summarized from the county checkbook
Payments to Fight for Justice Enterprises LLC 2020-2021:
Summarized from the county checkbook

His wife was also paid $4,275 in 2021 for “other professional services.” Alpha News asked Siqveland about the nature of these payments, but he did not address this aspect of the inquiry.

Alpha News reached out to Thompson for comment but has not received a response.

 

Kyle Hooten

Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.