The dominant conservative storylines of 2019 included the ongoing reports of fraud and corruption at Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, the scandals of Rep. Ilhan Omar, violence in the Twin Cities, and the radical policy proposals passed by the DFL-controlled Minnesota House.
With a presidential election on the horizon and another legislative session quickly approaching, 2020 is sure to be even more chaotic.
As the year comes to a close, here’s a look back on the 10 most popular stories published at The Minnesota Sun in 2019:
1. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services Has Lost $300 Million in Three Years, State Senator Says
State Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake), chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, revealed in September that the Minnesota Department of Human Services has lost more than $300 million in the last three years, either “by error or fraud.”
Benson expressed disappointment with then incoming Commissioner Jodi Harpstead, who said in one of her first public interviews that Minnesotans should move past the scandals and focus on the “good work” of DHS employees.
“Perhaps the first thing she should do is ask to be fully informed about any other known issues at DHS, then meet with her boss Gov. Tim Walz and the committee chairs to discuss the problems. It’s time to get ahead of the whistleblowers and media reports and get an honest assessment of the current challenges,” Benson said in an op-ed. “Because despite their best intentions, DHS and its employees lost, either by error or fraud, more than $300 million in the last three years.”
The Minnesota House passed a bill in April in a vote along party lines that would allow residents convicted of a number of felonies to work in programs overseen by the Department of Human Services.
The bill, House File 2265, was authored by Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL-St. Paul) and passed out of the House in a 73-54 vote.
Pinto’s bill would have required the DHS to consider granting a “set aside or variance” for “an individual who was disqualified for a crime or conduct listed under section 245C.15, subdivision 1” and if more than 20 years have passed since the individual was either sentenced or committed the crime.
Crimes listed under section 245C.15, subdivision 1 include felony-level stalking, drive-by shooting, malicious punishment of a child, solicitation of children to engage in sexual conduct, murder of an unborn child in the first degree, kidnapping, domestic assault by strangulation, child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, domestic assault, and murder in the first, second, and third degree.
The bill died in the Republican-controlled Senate.
3. Ilhan Omar Has Nine Percent Approval Rating Among Swing-State Voters
An internal poll that was reportedly “making the rounds of some of the most influential Democrats in America” showed that Rep. Ilhan Omar had just a nine percent approval rating among swing-state voters.
The poll was obtained exclusively by Axios, which reported that the poll was conducted in May by Democratic leadership to assess the approval ratings of progressive Democrats among likely voters in swing states.
The survey also found that only 18 percent of swing-state voters had a positive view of socialism, compared to 56 percent who viewed capitalism favorably.
Minneapolis Police arrested more than a dozen suspected gang members involved in a string of violent robberies and beatings in the downtown area.
The most graphic of the incidents took place on August 3 near Target Field where an intoxicated male was repeatedly punched, kicked, and even run over by a bike. They stripped the victim of his pants in broad daylight while one suspect threw a potted plant at his head and another robbed him of his wallet.
The same group of men were involved in at least two other robberies in the same area. Their strategy was to target drunken men and rob them of their wallets and cellphones.
5. Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on New Protocol: ‘No Privacy Rights in a Criminal Investigation’
Police departments in Hennepin County were notified in October by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office that the personal cellphones of officers involved in “critical incidents” will be subject to search and seizure, a source familiar with the situation told The Minnesota Sun.
Chief Deputy Hennepin County Attorney David Brown allegedly announced the policy during a meeting with the police chiefs for all departments within the county.
Chuck Laszewski, media coordinator for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, confirmed with The Minnesota Sun that the policy is part of a new “investigative protocol” that was “just released in the last couple months.”
Laszewski said the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office doesn’t believe the new policy is a violation of privacy rights “because there are no privacy rights in a criminal investigation.”
5. Ilhan Omar Reportedly Divorcing Husband, Moves Into Luxury Penthouse
Omar divorced Ahmed Hirsi, the father of her three children, this year and reportedly moved into a $2,800-a-month penthouse in downtown Minneapolis.
Omar and Hirsi were first married in 2002 during an Islamic ceremony, but separated for the first time six years later. She then married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, the man who is allegedly her brother, in 2009. While still married to Elmi and separated from Hirsi, Omar filed joint tax returns with Hirsi in 2014 and 2015 in violation of state and federal tax law.
6. Charges Dropped Against Christian Pastor Arrested at Mall of America
Ramin Parsa, a Christian pastor who was arrested at the Mall of America in August and charged with trespassing, was cleared of all charges during a March court hearing.
Parsa runs Redemptive Love Ministries in Los Angeles, but visited Minnesota in August. While in the state, he took a trip to the Mall of America and ended up in what he has called a “random” conversation with two Somali women.
As an ex-Muslim, he spoke with the two about his conversion to the Christian faith, and was reported to mall security by a passersby. He was subsequently arrested, taken to the basement of the Mall of America, and charged with trespassing.
Parsa returned to Minnesota in March ahead of his court hearing, and spoke at the Minnesota Capitol during a prayer rally hosted in support of him.
7. Ilhan Omar Paid $250K in Campaign Funds to Alleged Boyfriend
Ilhan Omar’s campaign committee dished out hundreds of thousands of dollars to E Street Group, a political consulting firm run by her alleged lover, Tim Mynett.
A national non-profit later filed a complaint against Omar with the Federal Election Commission for her apparent use of campaign funds for “romantic companionship.”
8. Omar Silent on New Claims That She Has a Different Real Name and Entered Country Fraudulently
A bombshell report released in July claimed that Omar entered the country fraudulently in 1995 as a member of the “Omar” family, which allegedly isn’t her real family.
The article was published at Powerline by David Steinberg, formerly an editor of PJ Media who has written extensively on Omar over the past three years.
In his article, Steinberg claimed:
“In 1995, Ilhan entered the United States as a fraudulent member of the ‘Omar’ family. That is not her family. The Omar family is a second, unrelated family which was being granted asylum by the United States. The Omars allowed Ilhan, her genetic sister Sahra, and her genetic father Nur Said to use false names to apply for asylum as members of the Omar family.”
Attorney General Keith Ellison hosted a listening session on “white nationalism in St. Cloud” after President Donald Trump addressed the topic of refugee resettlement during a campaign rally in Minnesota.
Attorney General Ellison hosted a number of similar listening sessions on hate crimes throughout the year, including one in Minneapolis with State Rep. Mohamud Noor (DFL-Minneapolis), and another at Temple Israel in Minneapolis.
10. Email Appears to Show DHS Wanted to Cut Check to Child Care Center Connected to ‘Taliban Official’
Officials in the Minnesota DHS allegedly wanted to cut a new check to a child care center that had its bank account frozen by the Office of Foreign Asset Control because of the account owner’s association “with a Taliban official,” emails obtained by a state representative showed.
Rep. Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) released a number of internal DHS emails she obtained through a data practices request. The Republican lawmaker uncovered several alarming trends in the emails, including the department’s “cozy” relationship with an organization that conducts itself “like the mafia,” and the agency’s willingness to pay a child care center with possible connections to a “Taliban official.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
