Minnesota Dems step-up for demands for Air Force vet turned Senator to resign after her burglary arrest

Minnesota state Senator Nicole Mitchell is facing increased calls to resign from her own party after the Air Force vet turned Senator was busted allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s home.

Chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, Ken Martin, issued a statement last week, calling on Mitchell to resign “to focus on the personal and legal challenges she faces.”

“The Minnesota DFL believes that all elected officials should be held accountable, including members of our party,” Martin said. “While Sen. Mitchell is entitled to her day in court, her continued refusal to take responsibility for her actions is beneath her office and has become a distraction for her district and the Legislature.”

In April, Mitchell was charged with burglary after breaking into her stepmother’s home to retrieve her father’s ashes and items of “sentimental value”, a probable cause document obtained by CNN said.

However, Mitchell disputed that in a Facebook post, claiming she was checking on a family member with Alzheimer’s.

So far, Mitchell has refused to resign – though she has been stripped of her committee assignment and cannot attend caucus meetings. That has proved to be controversial since Democrats have a one-vote majority in the state legislature at the moment.

DFL state Senator Heather Gustafson told reporters on Monday that her colleague was entitled to due process but she should resign to protect the rest of the caucus.

“I’m thinking about our caucus, and no one person is more important than the work that we can do while we have the majority,” Gustafson said.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy similarly said that she “hopes” Mitchell will “step aside” given the party’s current needs.

Mitchell was elected to represent the