Official headshot of Minnesota state Rep. Elliott Engen (R-Lino Lakes). (Source: Minnesota House of Representatives)

Minnesota state Reps. Elliott Engen (R-White Bear Township) and Walter Hudson (R-Albertville) will be stripped of their committee assignments following a drunk driving incident on March 27.

The Minnesota Reformer originally reported on the committee removals on Monday, citing a legislative source who was granted anonymity. House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) later confirmed the moves in an interview with WCCO Morning News.

“I was disappointed with the behavior,” she said. “Obviously there are legal aspects to that. I have taken action as a speaker as far as their committee assignments.”

Drunk driving

Engen, who is also running for state auditor this year, was first elected to the state legislature in 2023. On March 27, White Bear Lake Police Department arrested him and charged him with driving while intoxicated (DWI). Hudson and another unnamed person were passengers in the vehicle at the time.

A press release from White Bear Lake Police Chief Dale Hager says that officers pulled Engen over at 1:51 a.m. after noticing a broken headlight on Engen’s truck while he was traveling 14 mph over the speed limit.

Engen, who also had an expired vehicle registration, then failed parts of a field sobriety test and registered a .13 blood alcohol level on a breathalyzer test, well over the .08 limit in the state. The 27-year-old is due in court on June 26, and he issued an apology on X after his arrest.

Hudson, who was in the passenger seat with a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun, is not facing charges. Hudson also told officers that a bottle of alcohol in a child’s car seat in the back seat of the truck belonged to him. Although it is illegal to carry a firearm with a blood alcohol level above .04, officers did not administer a sobriety test on Hudson but did confiscate the firearm for “safe keeping.”

“I regret the poor decisions that were made during this incident, and commend the White Bear Police Department for their professional response. I’m grateful that no harm was done to ourselves and others,” Hudson told the Minnesota Reformer.

Ethics complaint

DFL representatives intend to file an ethics complaint against Engen and Hudson, as House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) called removing their committee assignments “not even a slap on the wrist.” Engen and Hudson were spotted drinking alcohol at Burger Moe’s in St. Paul, Minn. on March 26 within an hour of a House floor session that they both attended. Earlier that day, both men also left a meeting of the House Education Finance committee early. Engen’s DWI arrest happened hours later.

“Reps. Engen and Hudson violated the public’s trust, and this type of behavior has no place in the Capitol,” said House DFL Floor Leader Jamie Long. “There has to be accountability for their actions that goes beyond removing them from committees. They left committee halfway through to go drink, choosing to let down their colleagues and constituents by not doing the job they were hired for on an important committee overseeing funding for Minnesota schools.”

Hudson called the ethics complaint a “dumb move” in an X post and dared the DFL to do it.

State auditor race

Engen, who also founded a Turning Point USA chapter while he attended Hamline University, is seeking the Republican nomination for state auditor this year. Last year, Engen took a jab at state Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud), one of the Democratic candidates in the race, for his previous DWI. The Republican said the DFL was “drunk at the wheel in protecting taxpayer dollars from systemic fraud.” Wolgamott pleaded guilty for a DWI charge in 2023.