St. Paul Mayor Accused of Sexually Harassing Cops

St. Paul's newly-elected first female mayor is facing an outside investigation over claims she sexually harassed her own police chief. The city has hired Resolute Law to examine allegations that Mayor Kaohly Her made sexualized comments and engaged in unwanted physical contact toward Police Chief Axel Henry and other city employees, according to a letter obtained by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and New York Times. In that April 1 letter, Henry's attorney, Chris Madel, told the city attorney that Henry was filing a formal complaint after concluding the mayor's behavior was not isolated and allegedly involved subordinates in the police department.

The letter includes a screenshot of a text message purportedly from Her wishing a city employee a "Happy Weiner Wednesday" and referencing eating hot dogs, alongside a manipulated image that, according to a source, superimposed a St. Paul officer's face onto a baby's body with a sexually suggestive caption. Madel has urged the city to perform a full data extraction of Her's phones, warning litigation is likely. Her's spokesperson declined to discuss the probe but said the mayor, a moderate Democrat, respects city staff and regrets any unintended impact of her actions. Henry and the police department have not commented. The Tribune reports a former friend accused Her of sending "inappropriate or sexualized questions" last year.