State Sen. Omar Fateh
BY ED FELIEN
After a long and painful two-month inquiry, the Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct cleared state Sen. Omar Fateh of any serious wrongdoing, but they did find that Fateh didn’t disclose the $1,000 he paid Somali TV for campaign advertising.
His statement: “The unanimous decision reached today by the Bipartisan Ethics Subcommittee is both relieving and a reinforcement of what I have said all along: there is no evidence of, nor was I ever involved in, any unethical advertising exchange or any electoral interference, intentional or otherwise. I’m appreciative of the committee’s unanimous decision to dismiss those complaints entirely. While I recognize the financial mistake I made as a candidate, I’m grateful the committee recognizes the earnest nature of that error, and I will promptly follow their directive for additional training with the Campaign Finance Board. I look forward to moving past these complaints and dedicating more focus to my top priority — fighting on behalf of the needs and interests of working-class
DFL primary challenger Shaun Laden
families.”
Fateh is being challenged in the DFL primary on Tuesday, Aug. 9, by Shaun Laden, former union president for MFT’s education support professionals. Laden successfully fought to increase these essential teacher’s aides’ wages by 40% over six years.
