The police chief of St. Paul, Minnesota, Axel Henry, has filed a sexual harassment complaint against the city’s first female mayor, Kaohly Her. The complaint alleges inappropriate behavior towards Henry and other department members. An outside law firm has been hired to investigate these claims.
The Allegations
Chief Henry, who has led the St. Paul Police Department since 2022, sent a detailed letter on April 1 through his attorney, Christopher Madel, to the St. Paul City Attorney. The NBC affiliate, KARE 11, obtained this letter. It claims that Mayor Her’s conduct is not isolated and involves sexual harassment of subordinate city employees, including police department members.
The complaint aims not only to address the misconduct but also to protect the teams involved. A screenshot included in the complaint shows an alleged text from Mayor Her to a city employee. The message read, “Happy Weiner Wednesday! Wish I was having a [hot dog emoji] with you all on 6 today!” An accompanying meme, with an adult’s head on a baby’s body, featured an inappropriate caption.
Lawsuit and Investigation
Madel states in the letter that a lawsuit is likely and that the city should promptly extract data from all of Mayor Her’s mobile phones to investigate further. The mayor’s office, represented by spokesperson Matt Wagenius, did not comment, and neither did Chief Henry, through police spokesperson Nikki Muehlhausen.
Resolute Law, a women-owned firm based in St. Cloud, is handling the investigation but has not commented on its progress.
Previous Concerns
Mayor Her, who has been in office for only seven months, faced a similar accusation previously. A restraining order was filed against her by a former friend, alleging inappropriate or sexualized communication and involvement in her removal from the National Kidney Foundation Board. However, the petition was denied in court, as it lacked threatening evidence, and Mayor Her’s involvement in the board removal could not be proven.
Mayor Her, 53, originated from Laos and spent part of her early life in a refugee camp before moving to the U.S., where she grew up in Illinois and Wisconsin.