- Authorities arrested Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution following an undercover operation by the Bloomington Police Department. He remains in custody.
- Hours before his arrest, Eichorn and four other Republicans introduced a bill to classify “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness. The bill described it as paranoia triggered by Donald Trump’s policies and presidency.
- The Minnesota Republican Party chairman called for Eichorn’s resignation. They cited the seriousness of the charges and the need for public trust and accountability.
Full Story
On the same day that Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn joined four other Republicans in announcing new legislation defining “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness, authorities arrested him on charges of soliciting a minor. The Bloomington Police Department (BPD) announced Tuesday, March 18, that they’d arrested Eichorn, 40, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on Monday.
He’s charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution.
BPD said in its news release that detectives communicated with a man who thought he was talking to a 17-year-old female.
The detective arranged to meet with the man in Bloomington, less than 30 miles from the Capitol in St. Paul.
Police arrested Eichorn without incident after spotting him in the area.
“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.”
He said the state legislature, which Eichorn is a member of, should take this conduct more seriously.
Eichorn remains in custody, according to BPD.
Trump Derangement Syndrome
The arrest comes just hours after Eichorn and four other Republicans introduced SF 2589. The legislation, if enacted, would have identified “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness in Minnesota.
The bill described the affliction as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump. Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump’s behavior.”
The chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party released a statement Tuesday afternoon calling for Eichorn’s resignation.
“As Republicans, we hold elected officials to a higher standard,” said Chairman Alex Plechash. “While Sen. Eichorn is entitled to due process, the seriousness of these charges warrants his resignation. Public trust and accountability must come first.”
