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Minnesota GOP media firm is churning out viral hits for emerging figures on the right
Gun-toting Rep. Lauren Boebert, Baltimore-bashing congressional hopeful Kim Klacik, Texas transplant “Big” Dan Rodimer and a slew of the most right-wing politicians in the country have a Minnesota company to thank for a good slice of their fame. Arsenal Media Group, a relatively new political firm headquartered in the Twin Cities metro, has emerged from […]
Twitter account of governor’s chief of staff hacked, sends tirade of racist messages
The Twitter account of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s chief of staff was hacked Thursday morning, and unleashed a tirade of racist, antisemitic and pornographic messages, including some directed at the governor. The account @chrischmitter had not tweeted since October 2020, but starting at 8:23 am CT on Thursday, the account let loose more than a […]
Feds investigating Hagedorn appearances on Minnesota talk radio station
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators are probing a Minnesota news radio station’s financial relationship with Rep. Jim Hagedorn, questioning whether the station broke communications law by allowing a man paid by Hagedorn’s campaign to interview the congressman on air. The investigation by the Federal Communications Commission began after the Reformer first reported in late September on […]
The real winner in the 5th Congressional District? D.C. political consultants
WASHINGTON — Journalists and campaign finance experts this month questioned how Lacy Johnson — the Republican who raised a record-shattering $12.1 million for his longshot campaign against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar — could have spent one-third of that total on credit card fees. Turns out he didn’t. Johnson and his campaign manager acknowledged in separate […]
How state parties have become the latest vehicles for big money in presidential campaigns
WASHINGTON — State parties played an unprecedented role in financing the presidential election this year, making it possible for the national political parties to raise eye-popping sums from individual donors — and keep more money than they might otherwise be allowed. That’s all thanks to a 2014 Supreme Court decision that eliminated the overall limit on […]
Watchdog Files Complaint Against Hagedorn Over Campaign Office
WASHINGTON — A Democratic aligned campaign finance watchdog group filed a complaint against Rep. Jim Hagedorn with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday, accusing the first-term Republican of getting free or below-market-value office rent and lying to cover it up. The complaint from End Citizens United, which asked the FEC to investigate and sanction the […]
After revelations about payments from Hagedorn, Al Travis taken off the air until after election
WASHINGTON — A Mankato radio host has been pulled off the air until after the November elections, after the Minnesota Reformer revealed he had interviewed U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn on the air without disclosing to his listeners he had been paid by the congressman’s campaign. Al Travis Thielfoldt, who hosts Al in the Afternoon on […]
National security think tank responds to Hagedorn allegation: “Doesn’t hold much weight”
WASHINGTON — A national security think tank, an educational reform outfit and a group that works with veterans interested in getting into politics pushed back Monday against murky charges of corruption leveled by U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn in a Sunday night candidate debate against his DFL challenger Dan Feehan. Hagedorn tried to one-up Feehan’s own […]
Minnesota GOP political ad man’s side hustle as radio host could draw attention from regulators
WASHINGTON — In appearances over the past year on a small AM radio station in Mankato, U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, R-Blue Earth, discussed the federal response to COVID-19, impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump and of course, the Minnesota Vikings. One thing he didn’t discuss, though, is that the news jockey throwing softballs his way […]
In debate, Feehan questions Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s integrity; Hagedorn punches back
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s opponent accused him of corruption on Sunday night — citing information first revealed in a Minnesota Reformer investigation — in the first televised debate in the hotly contested race to represent Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. Dan Feehan, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee, said in his opening statement that “personal corruption” is the […]
The Hagedorn rule: Government watchdogs say congressional family deals need oversight
WASHINGTON — Even if U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn loses his first re-election race in November and leaves office after a single, little noted term in the House minority, he could still be leaving a lasting legacy: Call it the “Hagedorn Rule.” Congressional ethics experts say Congress should clarify who can or can’t do business with […]
Exclusive: Minneapolis lawyer files first known ethics complaint against Hagedorn
WASHINGTON — A Minneapolis lawyer filed the first known ethics complaint against U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn on Tuesday, all but assuring Congressional investigators will take a look at questionable spending by his office over the past year, if they aren’t already doing so. Sybil Dunlop, a business attorney at the Twin Cities-based law firm Greene […]