St. Paul Police Chief Accuses Mayor of Sexual Harassment as City Launches Outside Investigation
St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is facing an outside investigation following allegations from Police Chief Axel Henry that she made sexually inappropriate remarks to him and other city employees.
The city has hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations involving Her, a Democrat who took office in January.
Henry, who has served as St. Paul’s police chief since 2022, raised concerns about several interactions with the mayor during her first months in office, according to a New York Times report.
City officials have not announced when the investigation will be completed.
According to an April 1 letter sent by Henry’s attorney, Christopher W. Madel, to St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao, the police chief decided to become the formal complainant after learning that the alleged conduct may have extended beyond his own interactions with Her.
Henry’s attorney alleged that the reported conduct involved more than a small number of encounters and affected other city workers, including employees within the police department.
According to the letter, Henry believed a formal complaint was necessary to prevent the alleged conduct from continuing and to protect employees who might face consequences for coming forward.
Madel’s letter stated that potential litigation was “reasonably foreseeable” and alleged that Her had used one or more mobile phones to send inappropriate and unlawful messages to city employees, KARE 11 reported.
Madel asked the city to preserve potentially relevant records and conduct a complete forensic extraction of data from the mayor’s mobile devices.
The complaint included a screenshot of an alleged message attributed to Her containing a sexual reference and a hot-dog emoji.
It also included a partially redacted image accompanied by a sexually suggestive caption that read, “Happy Weiner Wednesday! Wish I was having a (hot dog emoji) with you all on 6 today!”
The documents described the material as one example among numerous alleged inappropriate incidents involving the mayor.
Henry has participated in extensive interviews with investigators on at least two occasions, according to KSTP.
Madel said the police chief had no public comment on the allegations and remained focused on leading the department.
The attorney said Henry had recently helped close a triple-homicide investigation in less than four hours and was continuing to focus on public safety.
A spokesperson said Her respects city employees and regrets any unintended impact her actions may have had.
The spokesperson did not provide a timeline for completing the investigation or say whether its findings would be released publicly.
The mayor’s office said the city would follow applicable laws when determining how to handle the investigative report, according to Newsmax.
This is not the mayor’s first time in the spotlight.
TTOA reported that Her previously drew attention for comments about her family’s immigration history during a Minnesota House debate before becoming St. Paul’s mayor.
Explaining that her father had listed his mother on refugee paperwork even though she had died, Her said, “Because his mother had died, my father, as the one processing the paperwork, put my grandmother down as his mother. And so I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country.”
Her later explained that she and her parents are U.S. citizens and said her family entered the United States legally as refugees.
Her became St. Paul’s first woman and first Hmong American mayor when she took office earlier this year.
Her administration has also received attention over St. Paul’s budget challenges and plans involving homeless encampments.
The city has not said when the outside investigation is expected to conclude.
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