Turmoil in AG's office roils House DFLers

In the latest flare-up of a DFL quarrel, a Democratic legislator sent colleagues an e-mail questioning the motives of another DFLer who sought an investigation into Attorney General Lori Swanson's management.

The e-mail suggested that the legislator seeking the probe held a grudge against Swanson for an unwanted transfer years before. The dispute led to a closed-door caucus meeting.

Swanson's office has been beset by high turnover amid discontent about her management and directives. The discord, including a controversial union-organizing effort in the office, has put DFL legislators in the middle of a fight between one of their party's top officeholders and one of its biggest constituencies, organized labor.

Rep. Debra Hilstrom, DFL-Brooklyn Center, wrote to all House Democrats a few days after Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, called on the Legislative Audit Commission to investigate allegations that Swanson pressured subordinates to compromise ethical standards.

In calling for the inquiry March 28, Simon referred to his service from 1996 to 2001 as an assistant attorney general, during which he worked with Swanson, who was a top aide to Attorney General Mike Hatch after his election in 1998.

Hilstrom began her March 31 e-mail by saying she is working as an intern in Hatch's law office.

"I have talked to Mike Hatch," it read. "I think that as long as Representative Simon spends his time talking about his time working down the hall from Lori Swanson, he ought to disclose to the people the facts and circumstances under which he was transferred without his consent from the consumer division to the education division by Lori Swanson."

The e-mail became a subject of a closed-door DFL House caucus that party members have declined to discuss. "This was a misunderstanding between two lawmakers that has since been resolved," said Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis.

Neither Hilstrom nor Hatch returned phone calls Wednesday, and the Attorney General's office declined to comment about the e-mail.

But Simon, who received the e-mail, defended his call for a probe and denied that it was retaliation for being transferred.

"It's unfortunate that I'm being painted as some sort of disgruntled former employee, which is not the case," Simon said. "I left on great terms from the office. The implication here that I was somehow demoted is not true. It was common for people to be shuffled from division to division as the need arose." Simon said he didn't object to the transfer.

Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles said last week he would conduct a preliminary inquiry that could last several weeks before determining whether there is sufficient evidence to conduct a larger investigation.

Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210