The Republican state senator who wrote a bill to make Trump Derangement Syndrome a mental illness has resigned from his position after he was charged over the alleged soliciting of a minor for prostitution, according to The Associated Press.
He submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday one hour before the Senate was set to vote on his expulsion.
Newsweek could not locate an attorney for Eichorn at this time. The Bloomington Police Department have been contacted via email for comment outside of working hours.
Bloomington Police Department
Why It Matters
Eichorn has taken a conservative stand against young children learning about gender diversity and sexual orientations. Following his arrest, he has not received support from the Republican caucus within the Minnesota State Senate, who said they were “shocked by these reports,” and demanded his “immediate resignation.”
What To Know
According to the Bloomington Police Department, 40-year-old Eichorn was arrested on Monday after allegedly arranging to meet up with someone who he believed to be a 17-year-old girl. When he got to the location, he was met by uniformed police officers and booked into jail before being transported to the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center.
“Felony charges of Soliciting Under 18 Year Old to Practice Prostitution are pending from the Hennepin County Attorney’s office,” said police.
However, Eichorn, of Grand Rapids, is now facing a federal charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution, according to the AP. Federal prosecutor LeeAnn Bell declined after Thursday’s hearing to say why federal authorities had taken over the case from the county prosecutor, the agency added.
At Eichorn’s first court appearance Thursday, he did not enter a plea. Magistrate Judge Shannon Elkins ordered his release to a halfway house with GPS monitoring once a space opens up, per the AP.
She ordered him to have no unsupervised contact with minors and only restricted, monitored access to computers and the internet. He was stripped of his passport, and cannot leave the state of Minnesota.
Eichorn was arrested after Bloomington police set up an online sting by placing ads on the internet offering commercial sex, according to the Justice Department (DOJ).
According to police allegations, Eichorn, a married man and father of four, responded to one of the ads. When the officer pretending to be a sex worker said that they were actually not 18, but 17, Eichorn allegedly kept messaging them, asking about various sex acts.
The DOJ stated that prior to the meetup Eichorn allegedly asked the undercover officer to send him “a naught[y] pic” including one “with lot less clothes.”
His criminal complaint states that he was found with two phones, an unopened condom, and $129 in his car.
Eichorn previously expressed his position against Minnesota schools teaching about gender diversity and sexual orientations, stating: “I don’t want my elementary age kids learning this stuff. Before you know it, they’ll be reading kids 50 Shades of Grey. This discussion is better had at a more mature age.”
What is Trump Derangement Syndrome
Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is a phrase used by MAGA commentators and politicians to call people who critique the President ‘deranged’ for doing so.
According to Eichorn, and his four other colleagues who cowrote the bill designating this as a mental illness, the so-called symptoms of TDS are “Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump’s behavior.”
His bill would distinguish TDS as an “acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump.”
In the USA people have the freedom to speak about the President, and any other politician, in any way they wish. They also have the freedom to make up their own mind about politicians. Someone disagreeing with Trump, or even spending what could be seen as excessive time discussing Trump, is not a mental illness.
What People Are Saying
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges: “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.”
Justin Eichorn’s resignation letter: “I am resigning my seat in the Minnesota Senate for District 6 effective immediately. I must focus on personal matters at this time. It has been an honor to serve in the Minnesota Senate.”
What Happens Next
Although Eichhorn is no longer in the state Senate, his TDS bill was also authored by state Senators Eric Lucero, Glenn Gruenhagen, Nathan Wesenberg, and Steve Drazkowski, who are still in their seats.
The bill is still active, and is currently sitting in the Health and Human Services committee. If it passes through the Senate, it is unlikely to be signed by Minnesota governor, Tim Walz.
Eichhorn is next due in court on Wednesday.
