See update at end
Late Wednesday night, a tweet from a Republican Senator and a repeat from a staffer gave rise to a complaint of an ethics violation.
"Sen Goodwin just called people with mental illness- idiots and imbeciles- while debating HHS bill," Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas, sent out on Twitter.
But Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, didn't. Instead, she disparagingly read on the Senate floor what people with mental illness used to be called. When informed of the tweet, Goodwin rose to her feet on the Senate floor to complain.
"This goes beyond the Pale. This is an ethics violation in my opinion and I expect a public apology," a shaking Goodwin said "She totally understood what I said....This is beyond politics. This is just plain mean spirited."
About four hours after Goodwin made her public complaint, Hoffman acknowledged -- but did not apologize for -- the upset.
"I look forward to sitting down with Senator Goodwin to discuss my concerns regarding remarks she made on the Senate floor today during a lengthy debate on Health and Human Services finance bill. Until I have an opportunity to speak with Senator Goodwin directly and share my experiences as a registered nurse, I have no further comment," Hoffman said in a statement.
Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb repeated the tweet from Hoffman but did not provide his own comment on its aftermath, despite an invitation to do so from Hot Dish.
