MPR Debate in 1st Congressional District

Oct 16, 2020 | Latest News

Minnesota and National Report

Today, on MPR Congressman Jim Hagedorn (R-MN08) and DFL Endorsed Candidate Dan Feehan (D-MN08) faced-off. Shortly, after the completion we received the following Fact Checks from the Feehan Campaign and thought they were worth noting.

In Final MN-01 Debate, Dan Feehan Promises to Bring Minnesotans Together Amid Rep. Hagedorn’s Growing Corruption Scandals

Today, in the final debate of the general election, southern Minnesotans were provided a clear contrast between Congressman Hagedorn’s growing record of corruption and self-dealing and Dan Feehan’s vision to serve the people and clean up fraud, waste, and abuse in Washington.

Following the MPR debate, Feehan for Congress Spokesperson Ben Reimler shared the following statement:

“Today, Dan Feehan showed what this campaign is all about and why he is the right leader to represent southern Minnesota,” said Reimler. “While Jim Hagedorn left a vacuum in his office for lobbyists and donors to pull the strings, Dan Feehan made clear his promise to work directly for the people. From protecting pre existing conditions, to driving down the cost of lifesaving prescription drugs, Dan will make sure all Minnesotans have access to quality, affordable health care. It’s abundantly clear that Congressman Hagedorn is too busy funneling taxpayer money to those around him to focus on the issues that matter to the residents of Minnesota’s first district. Dan will put a stop to these brazen acts of corruption in Washington and work to put people first.”

After serving two combat tours in Iraq, teaching middle school math, and assisting our veterans at the Department of Defense, Feehan has not been afraid to stand up to his own party. Most recently, Feehan spoke out against the House Democrats’ plan that would exclude farmers from the Continuing Resolution. Feehan has also been vocal in his opposition to the insidious effect of corporate PAC money. Feehan has made clear that both Republicans and Democrats are to blame for not making progress on lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

By contrast, Congressman Hagedorn has a long record of cowering to his drug and insurance donors and voting against protecting southern Minnesotans with pre-existing conditions and voting against efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs and make healthcare more affordable.

FACT CHECK: When It Comes to Health Care, Congressman Jim Hagedorn’s Record is a Disaster 

While Dan Feehan understands that health care must be affordable and accessible for every southern Minnesota, Congressman Jim Hagedorn has built a consistent record of putting drug and insurance companies ahead of Minnesotans’ health. After accepting thousands in campaign contributions from corporate special interests, Hagedorn turned around to vote against protecting southern Minnesotans with preexisting conditions and against efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs and make health care more affordable.

Here are the facts about the health care contrast in this race:

  • Just days into his first term, Hagedorn voted to support a lawsuit that would get rid of the entire Affordable Care Act. Even in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, Hagedorn has never wavered in his obsession with dismantling our health care system, refusing to support a special enrollment period that would help the more than 20% of Minnesota’s workforce who have lost their jobs during this pandemic. Meanwhile, the partisan lawsuit he voted to support would gut protections for 275,800 Minnesotans in the 1st District with preexisting conditions – in the middle of a public health crisis.
  • After a drug company-funded PAC ran a $2.5 million ad campaign encouraging him to vote against legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug costs, Hagedorn bragged about his opposition to the bill.
  • Last year, Congressman Hagedorn was the only member in Minnesota’s bipartisan delegation not to sign onto a letter in support of funding for the state’s health care program, MinnesotaCare.
  • Hagedorn has repeatedly pushed for a return to the state run high-risk pools established under Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association (MCHA), which were deemed “not affordable” by the Minnesota Department of Health. Under MCHA, patients faced benefit caps and premiums set between 101 and 125 percent of the market rate and people with a chronic disease or a preexisting condition faced much higher costs and were left without coverage once they met their lifetime cap.
  • He has also touted health association plans which have a history of fraud and abuse that left people with unpaid medical bills and allow insurance companies to discriminate against those with preexisting conditions.

Dan knows that the special interests have a vested interest in preventing progress on lowering the cost of prescription drugs. That’s why Dan has refused to take all corporate PAC money.

 FACT CHECK: Jim Hagedorn Relies on Debunked Attacks to Distract From Corruption Scandal

Facing a growing list of ethics scandals, including funneling hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to his staff and their family members and paying a radio host in violation of FCC regulations, Congressman Hagedorn is baselessly and transparently attempting to shift focus away from the culture of corruption that has run rampant in his taxpayer funded Congressional office. Multiple, independent news organizations have debunked Congressman Hagedorn’s accusation.

While local news reports have said Hagedorn’s accusation against Feehan “doesn’t hold much weight,” here are the facts about the Congressman’s corruption scandal:

  • In August, the Minnesota Reformer reported that Congressman Hagedorn’s office spent over $100,000 in taxpayer dollars on a vendor owned by a member of his staff.
  • A separate report found that Hagedorn’s office paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to his chief-of-staff’s brother for “printing costs.”
  • Multiple nonpartisan ethics experts have said publicly that Hagedorn’s actions violated ethics rules, posing “neon signs flashing red signals all over the place.”
  • Congressman Hagedorn has refused to provide real answers to taxpayers about why he allowed taxpayer dollars to be funnelled into the pocket of his own staffers and their family members, deflecting questions and even ending an interview when pressed on the ethics violations.
  • Congressman Hagedorn’s former chief-of-staff, Peter Su, produced tapes where Hagedorn himself says he  “didn’t see any problem” with the use of taxpayer dollars on an August 7th phone call.
  • The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating Hagedorn’s misuse of taxpayer dollars after a local attorney filed a complaint alleging that Hagedorn “violated ethics rules by allowing more than $111,000 to be paid to Invocq Technologies, a company controlled by John Sample, an employee in Hagedorn’s office.” Citing several irregularities and an “alarming lack of documentation and accountability for expenses,” by Hagedorn’s office, the lawyer who filed the complaint urged OCE to investigate how Hagedorn’s office disbursed payments to Invocq – a defunct company with no assets.
  • Recent reports also show Congressman Hagedorn likely received illegal campaign contributions and is facing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission.

Additional suggested reading:

 

FACT CHECK: Congressman Hagedorn Under Investigation for Funnelling Over $450,000 of Taxpayer Dollars into His Own Staff’s and Their Families’ Pockets

After 30 years as a lobbyist in the Washington swamp, Congressman Jim Hagedorn has allowed corruption to run rampant in his taxpayer funded Congressional office. Less than a month out from election day, Hagedorn is under investigation for funnelling hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to his staff and their family members.

Here are the facts about the ethics scandal embroiling Congressman Hagedorn’s office:

  • In August, the Minnesota Reformer reported that Congressman Hagedorn’s office spent over $100,000 in taxpayer dollars on a vendor owned by a member of his staff.
  • A separate report found that Hagedorn’s office paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to his chief-of-staff’s brother for “printing costs.”
  • Multiple nonpartisan ethics experts have said publicly that Hagedorn’s actions violated ethics rules, posing “neon signs flashing red signals all over the place.”
  • Congressman Hagedorn has refused to provide real answers to taxpayers about why he allowed taxpayer dollars to be funnelled into the pocket of his own staffers and their family members, deflecting questions and even ending an interview when pressed on the ethics violations.
  • Congressman Hagedorn’s former chief-of-staff, Peter Su, produced tapes where Hagedorn himself says he  “didn’t see any problem” with the use of taxpayer dollars on an August 7th phone call.

The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating Hagedorn’s misuse of taxpayer dollars after a local attorney filed a complaint alleging that Hagedorn “violated ethics rules by allowing more than $111,000 to be paid to Invocq Technologies, a company controlled by John Sample, an employee in Hagedorn’s office.” Citing several irregularities and an “alarming lack of documentation and accountability for expenses,” by Hagedorn’s office, the lawyer who filed the complaint urged OCE to investigate how Hagedorn’s office disbursed payments to Invocq – a defunct company with no assets.