Minnesota DFL: GOP only notified own caucus of positive COVID-19 test within its ranks

Kyle Brown

[anvplayer video=”4982884″ station=”998122″]

The DFL is lashing out over reports that Minnesota Senate Republican Chief of Staff Craig Sondag only notified GOP senators and staff of a senator’s positive COVID-19 test, calling the lack of disclosure a "failure of basic human decency."

News that Sen. David Senjem, R-Rochester, had tested positive for COVID-19 broke on Thursday after the Senate had already convened for a special session.

GOP Senate spokeswoman Rachel Aplikowski said Senjem attended a caucus meeting with fellow Senate Republicans on Nov. 5 in the Minnesota Senate Building. She said the meeting was in a "large hearing room, with members socially distanced and wearing masks." A DFL senator briefly entered the room but left right after being asked to do so.

Senjem took a saliva test on Sunday and notified the caucus on Monday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Then on Tuesday, Republican Caucus staff notified GOP senators who were at the Nov. 5 meeting that they had been in contact with someone who had tested positive and advised them to monitor for any symptoms. Aplikowski confirmed that Sondag also sent a memo out to GOP staff on Tuesday asking them not to come into the office during the special session "out of an abundance of caution."

Sen. David Osmek[Minnesota Senate website]

The memo detailing the positive coronavirus case was first reported by Minnesota Public Radio.

Aplikowski said no DFL senators or staff were notified because they had not attended the Nov. 5 meeting and had not been exposed to Senjem at the time.

A total of 11 GOP senators and one staff member were in the Senate chamber for Thursday’s special session. Aplikowski said none of those in attendance had exhibited COVID-19 symptoms or had a positive test and that many senators chose to join remotely.

However, the DFL Caucus remained furious that they were not told firsthand that their colleagues had potentially been in contact with the coronavirus.

“Minnesota Senate Republicans’ decision to cover up a COVID-19 outbreak within their ranks immediately before a special legislative session is a genuinely stunning failure of basic human decency that could land people in the hospital or worse," Minnesota DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. "[Senate Majority Leader] Paul Gazelka and Senate Republicans owe their DFL colleagues and the non-partisan staff at the Minnesota capitol an immediate explanation for why they decided to needlessly put people in harm’s way."

DFL Gov. Tim Walz also weighed in on Twitter.

"I do not understand why Senate Republicans chose to share positive cases only with members of their own party, putting staff and other senators at risk," he tweeted. "We must put aside our differences and look out for our neighbors. At the end of the day, we‘re all Minnesotans."

Majority Leader Gazelka responded, saying Walz was "looking for someone to blame" while COVID-19 cases were spiking across the state "despite masks and distancing."

"No DFL member was at our caucus meeting, and we followed MDH and CDC recommendations for social distancing, masks, and limiting time together during session so no one was put at risk," Gazelka said in a tweet. "It’s time to stop blaming us and politicizing this, and work together to keep Minnesotans safe."