St. Paul mayor faces external investigation after police chief files harassment complaint
Mayor Kaohly Her has agreed to an outside law firm investigation after the police chief accused her of sexual harassment and inappropriate communications with city employees.
The St. Paul Police Department chief, Axel Henry, submitted a formal complaint alleging that Mayor Kaohly Her engaged in sexual harassment toward him and other department members. The complaint, sent in a letter from the city attorney's office on April 1, claims the mayor's conduct extended beyond isolated incidents and involved unlawful text messages to city staff. The letter includes a screenshot of a text that referenced a "Weiner Wednesday" joke and an accompanying meme, which the attorney described as inappropriate.
The city has retained Resolute Law, a St. Cloud-based firm, to conduct a full investigation, including a forensic extraction of the mayor's mobile devices. Attorney Christopher Madel warned that further litigation could be expected if the allegations are substantiated.
Mayor Her, 53, issued a statement saying she is cooperating with the probe and believes the "full facts will come to light." She acknowledged that some of her attempts at humor did not meet her own standards for professionalism.
Police spokesperson Nikki Muehlhausen declined to comment on the matter. The law firm did not respond to requests for comment on the investigation's status.
Her, who was born in Laos and arrived in the United States at age three, previously faced a restraining order petition that was dismissed by a Ramsey County court, which found no evidence that she threatened the petitioner or influenced a board removal.