Minnesota State Senator Justin Eichorn, a Republican who recently introduced a bill labeling Trump critics as mentally ill, has been arrested and charged with felony solicitation of a minor for prostitution.
Authorities say Eichorn, 40, believed he was arranging a meeting with a 17-year-old girl but was actually communicating with undercover detectives from the Bloomington Police Department. He was taken into custody on Tuesday and booked on the felony charge. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges didn’t mince words about the arrest:
“As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someone’s child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up,” he stated.
Eichorn, who is married with four children, is now facing mounting pressure to resign. The Minnesota Senate GOP called the allegations “shocking” and said, “Justin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family.” The Republican Party of Minnesota also urged him to step down due to the “seriousness” of the charges.
The arrest comes just days after Eichorn co-authored a controversial bill that would classify “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness. The bill, widely seen as a political stunt, described the so-called syndrome as an “acute onset of paranoia” toward Trump, including “intense hostility” and “overt acts of aggression” against his supporters.
Eichorn has not publicly commented on the charges, and it remains unclear whether he will resign. However, with felony allegations and bipartisan condemnation, his political career may be coming to an abrupt end.
