Amid fraud allegations and a continuing ICE presence in the North Star State, articles of impeachment have been announced against two-term DFL Governor Tim Walz.
The articles, introduced by Rep. Mike Wiener (R-Long Prairie), outline four separate charges against Walz:
- Article one alleges Walz violated his oath of office “by knowingly concealing or permitting the concealment of widespread fraud within Minnesota state administered programs, despite repeated warnings, audits, reports, and public indicators of systematic abuse.”
- Article two alleges Walz violated his oath of office by “actions and omissions that interfered with lawful oversight, investigation, or corrective action related to fraud in Minnesota state agencies.”
- Article three alleges Walz violated his oath of office by “placing political consideration above lawful administration, thereby breaching the public trust.”
- Article four alleges Walz violated his oath of office by “failing in his constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws of the State of Minnesota, particular laws governing stewardship of public funds.”
“We are stewards of the public dollar,” said Wiener. “They put their faith in us to take that money and spend it wisely. And when we see this massive amount of fraud that’s been taken place, and we’ve known this for years, it’s not anything new. It’s been going on for quite some time. I take that very seriously.”
Wiener said he has been working on these articles of impeachment for two months. He was going through the state constitution when he “kind of stumbled” across the process.
“When I looked at the articles of impeachment, I thought this is a way that the legislators can, through the process, through our state constitution, hold the governor accountable for the massive amounts of fraud that have taken place in the state,” said Wiener.
While he said the articles are broad, Wiener believed they cover the broadest aspects of what was going occurring in Minnesota.
According to the Article VIII of the Minnesota State Constitution, only certain state officers can be subject to impeachment “for corrupt conduct in office or for crimes and misdemeanors.” Those offices include:
- Governor of Minnesota
- Secretary of State
- State Auditor
- State Attorney General
- Judges of the Minnesota Supreme Court
- Judges of the Minnesota Court of Appeals
- Judges of Minnesota District Courts
Similar to the U.S. Congress, the Minnesota House of Representatives has the power to impeach an elected official through a simple majority vote. If passed, the process then moves to the state Senate, where it takes a two-thirds majority to convict.
Hellbound and Down 