One of five Republican state senators in Minnesota who filed a bill Monday seeking to classify "Trump derangement syndrome" as a mental illness was arrested the same day. Sen. Justin Eichorn, 40, was arrested in Bloomington for allegedly trying to solicit sex from a minor, WCCO reports. Police say Eichorn, whose Senate bio states that he is married with four children, communicated with an undercover detective, believing he was talking to a 16-year-old girl. Eichhorn was arrested without incident after he arranged a meetup in the Minneapolis suburb and was met by uniformed officers, police say.
Bloomington promotes itself an "Orange Jumpsuit District," with zero tolerance for sex workers operating in red light districts, the New York Times reports. " As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someone's child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up," Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said. "I have always advocated stiffer penalties for these types of offenses." WCCO reports that Eichorn was still in custody Tuesday, with felony charges of soliciting a person under 18 years old to practice prostitution pending.
Fellow Republicans urged Eichorn to resign Tuesday, reports MPR News. "We are shocked by these reports and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation," the Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement. "Justin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family." Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a Democrat, said the allegation is "deeply disturbing, and raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents." On Monday, Murphy said the bill filed by Eichorn and his colleagues "trivializes" mental health issues and was "possibly the worst bill in Minnesota history." (More Minnesota stories.)
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