St. Paul Reporter

Representative Bidal Duran (R-Bemidji) has responded to the recent guilty verdict in Senator Nicole Mitchell’s felony burglary case. Last week, a jury found Senator Mitchell guilty of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools for an incident that took place in April 2024.

In a statement, Duran said, “What Senator Mitchell did was wrong plain and simple. The moment she was charged with felony burglary, she should have stepped down. That kind of behavior is completely unbecoming of a state senator or any elected official. Public service demands integrity, and when someone violates that trust, there should be immediate accountability, not delay, not deflection, and certainly not a prolonged goodbye tour.”

Senator Mitchell announced plans to resign from her seat in two weeks following her conviction.

Duran criticized the delay in resignation: “Dragging this out only adds insult to injury,” Duran said. “Minnesotans expect better from their leaders.”