HAGEDORN STATEMENT ON
INACCURACIES OF DFL PRESS CONFERENCE
For Immediate Release:
August 26, 2020

Press Contact:
Rachael Grooms – 763.614.8191

BLUE EARTH, Minn. — The following statement has been issued by First District Republican
Congressman Jim Hagedorn in response to the inaccuracies of today’s DFL press conference.
The DFL is lying about the facts in this story to give life to a non-issue and prop up their ultra-liberal
candidate, Dan Feehan, who’s radical left-wing views don’t fit the First District.
Furthermore, Ms. Muller and Mr. Holman are hardly objective “good government” analysts.
Between them, since 2016, they have contributed nearly $14,000 to Democrat candidates and
causes including Hillary Clinton, Beto O’Rourke and Elizabeth Warren, among many others.
Facts:
Like every member of Congress, I was allotted an account ($1.4 million per year) to hire staff,
travel to and from D.C., communicate with constituents, and administer my office. I am utilizing
what was allocated by the House, and not a penny more.
Every piece of mail sent to southern Minnesotans by my office was pre-approved by the Democratled House Administration Committee.
These mailings included topics that included informing constituents of the 21 town hall meetings I
held across the district, my work to pass the USMCA trade deal, legislation I introduced to support
southern Minnesota’s farmers or to complete the construction of Highway 14, among other issues.
When I became concerned in mid-June about administration of my office’s franked mail program, I
immediately hired outside counsel to conduct an internal review of the process established by my
former chief of staff. The next day I fired my chief of staff and later self-reported our review and
initial findings to the House committees of jurisdiction (House Administration Committee and House
Ethics Committee).
Our internal review will be completed in the near future. Upon completion, findings will be
transmitted to the House committees of jurisdiction and provided to the public.
The nuts and bolts duties of establishing franking services, hiring vendors, and sending out mail
were fully delegated to my former chief of staff. For Democrats and the Star Tribune to conflate
those duties with my work to review mass mail communications or help staff field media inquiries
about our office budget is complete nonsense, careless journalism and purposefully mixing apples
and oranges to further this non-story.
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