Daudt suspends chairmanship of Rep. Cornish following allegations
Photo Courtesy: Minnesota House of Representatives
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Following allegations of sexual harassment, Speaker Kurt Daudt has suspended the chairmanship of Representative Tony Cornish. Cornish is the chair of the Public Safety Committee.
In a statement, Daudt called the allegations "extremely troubling" and said he has shared the reports with the House Director of Human Resources.
This comes after State Representative Erin Maye Quade accused Cornish of sexual harassment in an interview with Fox 9. She said Cornish sent text messages saying he "got busted for staring at [her] on the House floor" because she "looked too damn good."
Cornish told Fox 9 the text messages were taken out of context and were meant to be a joke between colleagues.
The House's HR department will begin their complaint process for the allegations.
Speaker Daudt's full statement regarding Cornish:
"The allegations of sexual harassment against Rep. Tony Cornish are extremely troubling. I have shared the reports with the House Director of Human Resources as prescribed by our Policy against Discrimination and Harassment. In addition, I spoke with Rep. Cornish and told him that his reported actions were inappropriate and unacceptable as a member of our caucus and the Legislature.
“After consulting with the House Republican Executive Committee, I am suspending his chairmanship and have instructed the House's non-partisan HR department to begin their complaint process."