July 18, 2025

THINK OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AS WHAT IT REALLY IS: A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION MASQUERADING AS A POLITICAL PARTY: Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell found guilty of first-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools.

In April 2024, Mitchell was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home with the intent to take items that once belonged to her late father. A second felony charge, possession of burglary or theft tools, was later added by prosecutors.

Mitchell’s trial began on Monday and featured body-camera footage, several witnesses, and the senator testifying in her own defense. On Friday, the defense rested their case and both sides made their closing arguments.

During the trial, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald argued that Mitchell’s guilt was demonstrated by statements she made on the morning she was arrested by police.

Those statements include “I have never done anything like this,” “There were just a couple things of my dad’s I wanted to come get,” “I’m clearly not good at this,” “I know I did something bad,” and “I just wanted to get a couple of my dad’s mementos.”

Additionally, the prosecution highlighted how Mitchell entered the house through an egress window under cover of darkness, was dressed in black clothing, had a flashlight with a sock covering it, and went to great efforts not to be noticed.

McDonald argued that Mitchell was in the home with the intent to steal items. He told jurors to “trust your eyes and ears, do not get distracted, use your common sense and good judgement.” The prosecutor warned the jury that Mitchell’s testimony was “carefully crafted to protect the one person that she cares the most about in this case, herself.”

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The convictions will have major ramifications for Mitchell personally and the state Senate. Under Minnesota law, a conviction of first-degree burglary carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $35,000 fine, or both. Mitchell has two young sons.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, released a statement after Mitchell’s convictions which said “Senator Mitchell has told colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty of this crime, and I expect her to follow through on that pledge. Our caucus remains focused on the issues that matter to Minnesotan families and communities.”

In the Senate, Democrats have a one-seat majority (34-33). With Mitchell’s conviction, the Senate is poised to be evenly split between the GOP and the DFL. In turn, a special election will likely be called to fill Mitchell’s seat with the winner determining which party controls the chamber.

The Senate seat in question, District 47, includes all of Woodbury and part of Maplewood. In 2022, Mitchell won the seat by roughly 17 points.

On Wednesday, John Hinderaker of Power Line wrote, “Like the Balkans, Minnesota produces more news than can be consumed locally:”

One of our state’s recent scandals is the arrest for burglary of State Senator Nicole Mitchell. Mitchell was caught red-handed, burglarizing her stepmother’s house at 4:30 in the morning. The crime occurred during the 2024 legislative session, and the Democrats had a 34-33 majority in the Senate and thus needed her vote. The Senate voted on whether she would be able to vote for the remainder of the session, and Mitchell cast the deciding vote in her own favor.

When the 2024 session was over, Minnesota Democrats, including Tim Walz and now-DNC Chairman Ken Martin, belatedly demanded that Mitchell resign. But she hung tough. Her case was scheduled for trial, but the trial was continued so that she could participate in the 2025 session. Which she did, again representing the decisive vote in a chamber that was divided 44-43. Once the session began, not a single Democrat suggested that she ought to resign. Not a single reporter asked any Democrat why he had changed his tune.

As Hinderaker concludes, “This is the kind of soft corruption that permeates Minnesota politics.”

(Classical reference in headline.)

Posted at 8:14 pm by Ed Driscoll