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Hagedorn Fires Chief of Staff to Deflect Blame for Campaigning with Taxpayer Dollars

08/15/2020

Yesterday evening, the Daily Caller broke the news that Congressman Jim Hagedorn fired his Chief of Staff, Peter Su, for “irregular spending” that came in the form of Hagedorn’s office.

Here’s how Legistorm described Hagedorn’s “irregular spending” when they broke the story that led to Su’s firing:

“Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.) dropped 39.8 percent of his office’s expense allowances in the first quarter, according to LegiStorm data. The average representative spent only 19.5 percent during that time. Hagedorn’s expenses include 19.0 percent of his entire annual budget already spent on printing costs and franked mail to constituents, the highest of any representative. The average member has spent 0.8 percent of their budgets on mass mailings.”

The fact that Hagedorn’s office spent twice as much as the average Congressional office apparently escaped Hagedorn’s notice entirely, because he claimed he “became aware of this matter approximately two months ago,” which is roughly when Legistorm first covered Hagedorn’s excessive spending and use of taxpayer dollars to campaign from his congressional office.

While Hagedorn did say in a statement to the Daily Caller that “I acknowledge responsibility for the oversight of my office,” it’s unclear what this bizarre non-apology means and how Hagedorn allowed this massive issue to escape his notice for months, assuming he actually was unaware of this rampant spending.

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Jim Hagedorn’s incompetence is truly staggering. First, he blew almost half his office budget in 3 months, now he’s trying to pin the blame on someone else. If Jim Hagedorn can’t pass bills, mismanages our tax dollars, and refuses to accept responsibility for his many failings, then he does not deserve the privilege of representing Minnesota in Congress.”