Minnesota Republican state senator Justin Eichorn, who recently gained attention for introducing a bill that would label “Trump derangement syndrome” as a mental illness, was arrested on Tuesday for attempting to solicit a minor for prostitution.
Eichorn, a 40-year-old father of four, was taken into custody after police say he was caught communicating with undercover detectives posing as a 17-year-old girl. The interaction was reportedly part of an ongoing investigation by the Bloomington Police Department.
The charges against Eichorn are serious—he now faces felony accusations of soliciting a minor. “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,” Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said in a statement, clearly condemning the senator’s alleged actions.
The Minnesota Senate GOP quickly distanced itself from Eichorn, calling for his resignation following his arrest. “Justin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family,” the GOP caucus said in a statement. The Republican Party of Minnesota echoed the same sentiment, calling the charges “serious” and urging Eichorn to step down immediately.
This arrest comes just days after Eichorn co-authored a controversial bill with four other Republican lawmakers. The bill, which has sparked nationwide debate, seeks to categorize “Trump derangement syndrome” as a mental illness. The term, often used pejoratively by Trump supporters, is aimed at liberals who are said to be overly fixated on the former president.
The bill defines “Trump derangement syndrome” as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J Trump.” According to the bill, symptoms of the syndrome could include “Trump-induced general hysteria” and an inability to tell the difference between “legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology” in Trump’s behavior. The bill further describes the syndrome as potentially leading to “intense hostility” or “overt acts of aggression and violence” toward anyone who supports the former president.
The proposal has faced harsh criticism from both political sides. State Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy blasted the bill, calling it “possibly the worst bill in Minnesota history.” Murphy added that if the bill were meant as a joke, it wasted valuable time and trivialized real mental health issues. If taken seriously, she warned, it would be “an affront to free speech and an expression of a dangerous level of loyalty to an authoritarian president.”
The arrest of Eichorn, coupled with the fallout from his controversial bill, has left many questioning the actions of a lawmaker whose policies now appear to be overshadowed by criminal allegations. As the legal process unfolds, Eichorn’s political future looks uncertain, with calls for his resignation intensifying.
