Man who harassed Minnesota state senator sent private photos to colleagues
Minnesota Senator Scott Dibble (DFL) represents District 61. (Minnesota Senate)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A state senator with nearly two decades of service in the legislature says he’s had one of the hardest days of his life after being the victim of what he says is “revenge porn.”
Now, Senator Scott Dibble is making sure his colleagues and constituents know what happened. Senator Dibble is not speaking with FOX 9 directly about the incident but released a statement about what unfolded on Friday.
Man who harassed Minnesota state senator sent private photos to colleagues
A state senator with nearly two decades of service in the legislature says he’s had one of the hardest days of his life after being the victim of what he says is “revenge porn.”
In the statement, Dibble said he has been harassed for the past five months by a friend who he had a brief relationship with. Dibble said he attempted to end the relationship but was threatened by the person. On Friday, the individual sent emails to Dibble’s colleagues in the Senate.
State Senator Susan Kent says she learned of the situation after she got an unusual phone call from Dibble on Friday morning.
"I think he had heard that something was happening; he called me to see if I had received any emails or anything," said Kent, who is the also the Senate's assistant minority leader.
She says she didn’t receive any unusual emails in her inbox. But other senators received private photos, videos and text messages of Dibble.
The long-time legislator, who represents parts of Minneapolis, released a statement, saying in part:
"I was involved in a brief intimate and consensual relationship with this person. When I attempted to end the relationship, I was threatened with embarrassment as this individual attempted to coerce me into continuing the relationship. My resistance to his threats was met this morning with a communication that was sent to my colleagues with what had been private photos, videos, and text messages.”
The married senator is now asking for privacy but Senator Kent is speaking up for him.
"It’s just wrong, it’s just a terrible thing to do to another person," said Kent.
While it may be rare this happened to a Minnesota lawmaker, some are surprised there haven’t been more victims.
"The fact that this is the first time again I can recall in Minnesota in that we have a public official who is a victim of revenge porn in some sense, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner," said political analyst David Schultz.
But in the end, Schultz doesn't necessarily think this will harm the lawmaker’s career long term.
"I don’t think it hurts him short term at least on the basis of what’s coming out now," Schultz explained.
There is a revenge porn law on the books in Minnesota – that makes it a crime to share photos sent to someone that are meant to be private. A spokesperson for Dibble says he has talked to an attorney, but hasn’t decided what to do next.