DFL Chair: GOP COVID-19 'Cover Up' Is 'Failure' Of Human Decency

Minnesota DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin is among the high-profile state Democrats criticizing local Republicans for how they handled a coronavirus outbreak within their own ranks.

"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," Martin said Saturday.

"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."

Senate majority leader Paul Gazelka confirmed Sunday that he is among the Republicans to contract the virus following a large in-person event the party hosted in the Twin Cities metro on Nov. 5, Fox 9 reported.

Gazelka and other state Republicans came under blistering criticism Saturday after it was reported that Republicans in the state Senate kept quiet about their members testing positive for COVID-19.

According to the Star Tribune, Republican senators were given a memo Tuesday that said "a number of" their own members and staff "have been diagnosed with COVID-19." The memo did not say who among the Senate GOP has contracted the virus.

"If Paul Gazelka had a shred of decency left in him, he would apologize for allowing his caucus to potentially expose their colleagues to a lethal pandemic and take action to ensure something like this never happens again," Martin added Saturday.

On Sunday, DFL state Sen. Susan Kent took it a step further, calling on Gazelka to resign from his leadership position.

Read more: Paul Gazelka Called On To Resign As MN Senate Majority Leader

Majority leaders in the Minnesota Senate did not respond to Patch's request for comment.