The Minnesota Democratic and Republican parties both called Saturday for the resignation of Democratic state Rep. John Thompson, who recently accused an officer of racial profiling, over multiple allegations of domestic violence.
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chairman Ken Martin said Mr. Thompson should step down effective immediately, saying that “nobody credibly accused of such heinous acts has any place in elected office.”
“Numerous allegations against Representative John Thompson have recently come to light that show an incredibly disturbing pattern of violent and abusive behavior,” said Mr. Martin. “The reports that Thompson physically assaulted multiple women, often in the presence of children, are absolutely sickening.”
His statement came a few hours after the Republican Party of Minnesota called for Mr. Thompson’s resignation, citing “the uncovering of his four domestic assault cases by Fox 9.”
“Our elected officials should be held to the highest standard of citizenship and Rep. Thompson has consistently failed to meet that standard during his time in office,” said the Minnesota GOP statement.
Mr. Thompson’s background came under scrutiny after a July 4 traffic stop for a missing license plate in which the first-term legislator alleged he was racially profiled, which police deny, and produced a Wisconsin driver’s license, raising questions about whether he legally resides in his St. Paul district or even Minnesota.
The episode drew attention to his ongoing trial on a 2019 obstruction charge as well as his rap sheet, which includes 20 traffic citations in Minnesota from 2010-21 and four domestic violence cases from 2003-11 that resulted in three disorderly conduct convictions.
In 2003, Mr. Thompson pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct after allegedly striking his girlfriend in the face in front of her daughter and resisting arrest in Superior, Wisconsin, according to Fox9.
In 2004, he again pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a deal that resulted in the dismissal of charges of making terrorist threats, interfering with a 911 call, and domestic assault in Eagan, Minnesota court records show.
He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct again in 2007 after being charged in 2006 with domestic assault in Woodbury, Minnesota, for allegedly striking his girlfriend in the throat in front of her child, spitting on her parked car, and telling her, “I’ll kill you,” as shown in court filings.
In 2011, he was charged with domestic assault in St. Paul after allegedly grabbing his girlfriend’s daughter, pushing her, and attempting to choke her, but the charge was dismissed, according to court records.
In 2009 and 2010, St. Paul police responded to domestic incidents in which two different women accused Mr. Thompson of exposing himself in front of children during arguments, but he was not charged, Fox9 reported.
“During that 2009 incident, according to the reports, as the yelling escalated Thompson pulled out his penis in front of his girlfriend and two young children and said, ‘I’m the man, you can all s— my d—,’” said the station. “Thompson denied he ever exposed himself. The Ramsey County Attorney declined to file charges.”
Mr. Thompson’s attorney Jordan Kushner told Fox9, “Mr. Thompson does deny the allegations. The end results speak for themselves.”
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— MNGOP (@mngop) July 17, 2021
Alongside his lack of transparency regarding his residency. Rep. Thompson has been involved in four domestic assault cases. His constituents and our legislature deserve better. https://t.co/XGJIhyHqgr
The Minnesota Republican Party statement said that “Rep. Thompson’s actions are inexcusable and his constituents deserve full representation at the Minnesota House of Representatives.”
In light of recent reporting showing an incredibly disturbing pattern of domestic violence and abuse from Representative John Thompson, we are calling on Thompson to resign from office immediately. https://t.co/qFVTR0jslp
— Minnesota DFL Party (@MinnesotaDFL) July 17, 2021
The lawmaker, who introduced a bill this year to end qualified immunity for police, is currently on trial in Hennepin County Court for a 2019 misdemeanor obstruction charge stemming from a brouhaha at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.
Mr. Thompson accused staff of behaving rudely based on racism after he and dozens of others arrived to visit his son’s friend, during which a fight broke out and the hospital was placed on lockdown for 90 minutes.
“My client’s going to court because he’s innocent of the charge. Worse than that, he’s being persecuted because he’s outspoken where he sees racism, and that’s why he’s being prosecuted in this case,” Mr. Kushner told KARE-TV.
“Especially because he accused the police and the hospital security and hospital staff of treating Black people differently and in a racist manner,” he said.
Mr. Thompson, who renewed his Wisconsin driver’s license most recently in November, said in a Monday statement that “I live and work in St. Paul” and that he would obtain a Minnesota license.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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