In yet another incident of seemingly quite obvious Democrat corruption that slid under the radar of the national news media, Minnesota’s Democrat Senate President and former Senate Ethics Committee head, Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, was caught in a massive ethics scandal regarding his funneling of money to a non-profit he owns.
For reference, Sen. Champion was the head of the Ethics Committee at the time the allegations against him and his seeming corruption began to come out, but has since resigned the post to give the impression of honesty and non-bias to the proceedings. That came around the same time that Republicans officially filed an ethics complaint regarding his conduct.
In that complaint, the state Republicans thoroughly outlined the charges against Sen. Champion, showing that “Sen. Bobby Joe Champion violated Senate Rules 56.1 and 56.3 by sponsoring legislation appropriating money to a legal client without disclosing the client relationship. Senator Champion authored legislation in 2023 and 2025 directing money to this client, including legislation that was signed into law in 2023 and sent $3 million to a client.”
They then started articulating what funding he had pushed. Starting at the beginning, they noted, “On March 16, 2023, Senator Champion introduced SF2970, which allocated $3,000,000 in Fiscal year 2024 and $3,000,0000 in fiscal year 2025 to Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County, of which Community Action Partnership was directed to give $1,500,000 to 2l Days of Peace in each fiscal year 2024 and 2025.”
Further noting the intense pressure exerted upon the legislature by Sen. Champion for those organizations, the Republicans provided, “On March 20, 2023, the Minnesota Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee heard SF2970, and Senator Champion presented the bill with Rev. Jerry McAfee, representing 21 Days of Peace. At the committee hearing, Sen. Champion and Rev. McAfee presented testimony to the committee regarding the work of Salem, Inc and 21 Days of Peace. Minutes from the committee hearing do not show Rev. McAfee or Sen. Champion disclosing a relationship, nor does video of the hearing.”
Then, after noting that yet more legislation he let go forward provided funding for the groups, the Republicans noted, “On March 25, 2025, Senator Champion introduced SF2978, which would appropriate $2,000,000 in each fiscal year 2026 and 2027 to Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County and directs the organization to send $500,000 in each fiscal year 2026 and 2027 to 21 Days of Peace.” In addition to presenting the bill, he offered testimony on its behalf, all without acknowledging his relationship with that group.
Shortly later, Republicans dropped the hammer on Sen. Champion, exposing, “On April 4, 2024, the Minnesota Reformer published a news story highlighting a professional relationship between Sen. Champion and Rev. McAfee. It reported that Sen. Champion had represented McAfee and Salem, Inc. as their attorney-at-law in several financial disputes.
According to the article Sen. Champion acknowledged the legal work, saying it was “pro-bono and that because it had concluded in December 2022, prior to the state of the legislative session, he did not need to disclose the relationship to the public or his colleagues.””
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Further, the Republicans exposed that he was the lead attorney for three cases involving Salem, Inc. And, adding yet further to the scandal, it then noted that the Senator was also intimitely tied to the non-profit for which he helped push so much funding, 21 Days of Peace.
Exposing as much, the ethics complaint noted, “According to a Star Tribune article dated April 8, 2025, Senator Champion’s office also had further connections to 21 Days of Peace, with a member of his Senate staff reported as also serving as the “executive administrator” of 21 Days of Peace as recently as 2021. No end date to that position has been reported.”
As he never disclosed his relationships with the two organizations, his behavior, of course, was firmly against the rules. Specifically, it fell afoul of, amongst other rules, Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.11 Subdivision D, which provides, “Except as law may otherwise expressly permit, a lawyer currently serving as a public officer or employee: 1: is subject to rules 1.7 and 1.9; and 2 (i) shall not participate in a matter in which the lawyer participated personally and substantially while in private practice or nongovernmental employment, unless the appropriate government agency gives its informed consent, confirmed or in writing”
Concluding by summarizing the complaint against Sen. Champion, the Republicans said, “Sen. Champion authored legislation that benefitted his legal clients Rev. Jerry McAfee and Salem, Inc in both 2023 and 2025 without disclosing his past relationship with either entity. Sen. Champion’s position as the Chair of the Jobs and Economic Development Committee gave him the authority to choose which bills would receive funding in the final Jobs legislation. He held influence above other members of the Senate regarding whether Rev. McAfee and Salem, Inc would receive funding from the State of Minnesota” and “The failure to disclose his personal relationships with Rev. Jerry McAfee and Salem, Inc violated Senate Rules by falling short of the highest ethical standards, betraying the public trust, and giving the appearance that his independence of judgement was impaired by his legal relationship with Rev. McAfee and Salem, Inc.”
Featured image credit: By MN Senate DFL from St, Paul, Minnesota – #EqualPayDay, PDM-owner, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128414388