“I’ve already issued my statement, and at the advice of counsel, there’ll be no further comments.”
So says State Representative Rod Hamilton today in light of accusations of inappropriate sexual contact. The Mountain Lake Republican is under investigation after a Bemidji woman accused him of touching her without her consent at his apartment earlier this month. Party leaders issued a statement today that Hamilton has been suspended of his Agriculture Finance Committee chairmanship. In a statement, Hamilton, who has not been charged, says as someone who has worked for years with at-risk men and women, including survivors of sexual assault, he deeply regrets the effect his actions had on the accuser. Here is Rep. Hamilton’s statement in full:
“As someone who has worked for years with at-risk men and women, including survivors of sexual assault, I deeply regret the effect my actions had on Ms. Schlecht. During my interactions with Ms. Schlecht, I intended to offer comfort and compassion to a person who was going through a difficult time. I now understand that my actions, while well-intentioned may be viewed differently by a survivor of sexual assault, and that it may have caused additional pain and hardship. For that, I fully apologize. I categorically deny accusations of sexual assault—as stated in the article, according to a spokesperson from the Ramsey County attorney’s office, these actions ‘…did not meet the elements of criminal sexual conduct.’ In the interest of full transparency and cooperation, I have reported this incident to the House Human Resources Department. To date, I have not been contacted by law enforcement regarding these allegations, but I will cooperate fully with any investigation conducted either by law enforcement or the House Human Resources Department.”