Sen. Scott Jensen says he has ‘no regrets’ about his COVID-19 comments

Senate leader says he’s under investigation by state medical board for COVID remarks.

State Sen. Scott Jensen, a physician, said Monday he has “no regrets” over controversial comments he made about COVID-19 that have sparked a state review.

Jensen, a Republican from Chaska, said he believes complaints to the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice that he was spreading misinformation and giving “reckless advice” about the coronavirus may be politically motivated.

The board declined to confirm any complaints or reviews underway, stating that such information is not subject to public disclosure. Continue reading.

State Sen. Scott Jensen says he’s being investigated by the state medical board for COVID-19 commentsState Sen. Scott Jensen says he’s being investigated by the state medical board for COVID-19 comments

Medical board reportedly looking into Jensen’s COVID-19 comments.

State Sen. Scott Jensen, a physician and Republican from Chaska, said Sunday that he is being investigated by the Minnesota State Board of Medical Practice for public statements he’s made about COVID-19.

Jensen criticized the state Department of Health in April for following federal guidance stipulating when doctors should characterize deaths as due to COVID-19. He said he feared that the death toll might be inflated if each state’s allocation of federal funds depended on the number of COVID-19 deaths.

His comments, made in a series of interviews with TV personalities from North Dakota to Fox News in New York, went viral. Some charged they fueled conspiracy theories and disinformation about the coronavirus. He told the Star Tribune in April that he felt his words were taken out of context. Continue reading.

Senator Jensen Caught Golfing During Zoom Committee Hearing

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Yesterday, Republican Senator Scott Jensen was seen golfing during a hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which Jensen serves as the Vice Chair of.

The Evidence of Jensen Golfing During a Committee Hearing

The video of the full committee hearing can be found here. Some key moments from the hearing are:

  • 5:39 – Jensen is seen driving at the beginning of the meeting
  • 17:49, 19:01 – The sound of golf is clearly audible
  • 18:13 – Jensen is visible outdoors and someone can be seen with golf clubs behind him, despite Jensen’s efforts to obscure this by holding his camera close to his face
  • 38:14 – A conversation, presumably between Jensen’s golf buddies, is clearly audible during the committee hearing
  • 50:44, 56:30 – Jensen is clearly sitting in a golf cart.
  • 50:55 – Jensen’s golf cart gets so loud that it disrupts the meeting and folks are asked to mute microphones.
  • 51:10 – Senator Hayden jumps in to “ask Senator Jensen how’s he hitting them out there?”

Continue reading “Senator Jensen Caught Golfing During Zoom Committee Hearing”

Statement from House DFL Leadership on Senate Republican Budget Targets

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements on the budget targets released by Senate Republicans today:

“Senate Republicans are using a tried-and-true Republican gimmick of moving the goalposts to hide how much they’re shortchanging Minnesotans,” said Speaker Hortman. “Their budget won’t get Minnesota children the world-class schools they deserve. It will put affordable health care further out of reach for Minnesotans. And the Senate Republican budget won’t increase economic security for our families and give them the chance to succeed. As the House and Senate begin moving budget bills forward, House DFLers are committed to building a state that will work better for everyone.”

“Minnesota will be moving backwards under the Senate Republican budget,” said Majority Leader Winkler. “The choices will be clear for Minnesotans: continue down the Republican path that prioritizes corporations, the wealthy, and health insurance companies; or the DFL budget that will make honest investments in the things Minnesotans value: affordable health care, great schools, safe & inclusive communities, and reliable roads, bridges, and transit. The House DFL is committed to responsible budgeting, correcting the destructive Republican budgets, and building a brighter future for all Minnesotans.”

Situation in the Minnesota Senate

Minnesota is the only state legislature in the country. Like the GOP controlled U.S. Senate, our Minnesota Senate Speaker is blocking bills from being heard.

Here are the issues that are being stonewalled (Sen. Gazelka is beginning to talk about allowing the gun safety bills to be heard):

Strong suburban showing puts DFL in control of House

The DFL will control the Minnesota House of Representatives in the 2019-20 biennium.

Winning a number of key races in the Twin Cities suburbs, the DFL picked up 18 seats in Tuesday’s elections and will hold a 75-59 advantage when the House convenes Jan. 8, 2019.

Much of the change occurred in the Twin Cities suburbs, especially near and just off the Interstate 494-694 corridor, where DFL candidates beat incumbent Republicans in places like Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Edina, Lakeville, Plymouth, Rosemount, Stillwater and Woodbury.

Three races were within 250 votes: Rep.-elect Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (DFL-Eden Prairie) beat Rep. Jenifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie) by 241 votes with 20,577 votes cast; Rep.-elect Kelly Morrison (DFL-Deephaven) beat Rep. Cindy Pugh (R-Chanhassen) by 216 votes with 23,372 cast; and Rep.-elect Shelly Christensen (DFL-Stillwater) beat Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater) by 137 votes in a race where 22,630 votes were cast.

View the complete November 7 article by Mike Cook on the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services’ website here.

Donzel Leggett is a truly outstanding candidate

I’m a moderate Democrat who has seen many candidates come and go. This year, our candidate for state representative is truly outstanding.

Donzel Leggett went to Purdue University and excelled as a student of engineering and a defensive end. He married Tracy, who is his campaign manager and a force of nature. He became vice president at General Mills. He is an inspiring speaker. This letter is about why he can and should win.

Joe Hoppe has served eight terms and flies under the radar as a nice guy while getting 100 percent ratings from right-wing groups and near zero from the rest. Continue reading “Donzel Leggett is a truly outstanding candidate”

Thank you to District 47B

Wow. I’m humbled beyond belief. On Sunday, we officially launched the Donzel Leggett for State House campaign, and the turnout blew me away. It inspired me.

There are so many people who want to enact change — so many voices, just longing to be heard. I couldn’t have asked for a better event. Folks from District 47B are coming together to give their time, talent, and treasure to support me in my journey to represent our community at the Capitol.

What a powerful and energizing day! Continue reading “Thank you to District 47B”