Rep. Grossell removed from 2 committees over alleged threats to law enforcement
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman has removed Republican Rep. Matt Grossell from two committees after a disorderly night at a St. Paul hotel this spring in which Grossell allegedly scuffled with a security guard.
Hortman removed Grossell from the Public Safety and Judiciary committees over the alleged incident on May 4, which she resulted in charges of disorderly conduct and trespassing.
According to the letter Hortman sent to Grossell, what concerned her the most about the allegations was that he went to police headquarters early in the morning after being released from jail and reportedly told an officer that he was a state representative and retired sheriff that "it will be hell to pay.”
Hortman called Grossell’s conduct an “abuse of the office you hold as an elected official.”
“I have determined the appropriate sanction for your implied threat to law enforcement by calling attention to your elected office and stating ‘it will be hell to pay’ is your removal from the committee work that most directly shapes legislation that affects members of our law enforcement community,” Hortman wrote in the letter.
Grossell responded with a statement, saying Hortman is removing a law enforcement voice by stripping him of the two committee assignments.
He added that since the alleged incident, he has been working to “personally apologize to those involved, make amends, and complete the legal process.”