MN GOP Demands Release Of Footage From Rep. Thompson Traffic Stop

TWIN CITIES, MN — The Republican Party of Minnesota is calling on state Rep. John Thompson to allow the body cam footage from his recent traffic stop to be released to the public.

Thompson, a Democrat, drew criticism from the head of his own party after he claimed that St. Paul police racially profiled him during a recent traffic stop. Now, state Republicans are weighing in.

"We call on Rep. John Thompson to allow the body cam footage from his traffic stop to be released by the St. Paul Police Department to give transparency to the situation and issue an apology to the department," Minnesota Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said in a statement Monday.

"Thompson's vitriolic actions and language last summer in Hugo to the uncertainties of his actual residency need to be addressed, answered and explained. Nobody is above the law and Minnesotans deserve honest representation in the state legislature."

Thompson, who is Black, was pulled over and cited July 4, the Star Tribune reports.

Police said they pulled Thompson over because his car did not have a front license plate. Thompson was also driving with a suspended license, authorities said.

"I thought we weren't doing pretextual stops in this state. But we are," Thompson told a crowd outside of the governor's mansion July 6 during an event remembering the police shooting death of his friend, Philando Castile.

Days after the lawmaker's comments, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell publicly demanded an apology from Thompson.

"This stop, made at about 1:20 in the morning, had absolutely nothing to do with the driver's race," Axtell said on Facebook Friday.

"The driver, an elected official who does not dispute driving without a front license plate, owes our sergeant an apology."

This wasn't the first time Thompson has caused controversy with his public comments. In August, Thompson was recorded using expletives and talking about "burning Hugo down" during a protest outside of the home of former Minneapolis police union president Bob Kroll.