Let’s start with the fact that Michael Brodkorb is a piece of work. You may recall that he briefly flitted across the liberal blogosphere when he and the MN Senate Majority Leader resigned in 2011. Another Xtrian GOP tawdry sex scandal. Less heard of by those outside MN was his engineering of the GOP takeover of the MN senate in 2010. In 2013 City Pages described him as “a ruthless political tactician who made a name for himself digging up dirt about the DFL and writing about it on his blog. (Sounds a bit like the NJ David Wildsteirn.)
Fast forward to September 2014 Michelle MacDonald and the anatomy of a political train wreck
After a few minutes of waiting to see if power would be restored — it wasn’t — the event was moved outside, where MacDonald [State Supreme Court Justice candidate] announced that she has filed documents with the Office of Administrative Hearings against the state’s Republican Party, GOP Chairman Keith Downey, the party’s executive board, executive board member Pat Anderson and attorney Patrick Burns. She says this could be the start of a process that could lead to civil and criminal complaints against the party.
A few month earlier, May 2014, MacDonald “gave a Bible-waving speech” at the state GOP gathering and secured their endorsement. Party officials learned later (so they claimed) from a published article (by Michael Brodkorb) that in May 2013 MacDonald was arrested on a DUI. (The gory details from that discovery to MacDonald’s formal complaints against the party are included in the linked article.)
The documents also contained information about a bizarre incident in 2013 where MacDonald, who was representing a client in court, was removed from the courtroom by deputies and placed in a cell.
MacDonald lost her race, but Brodkorb wasn’t done with her. On May 7, 2015, the Sun This Week published Lakeville police step up efforts to find runaway girls. The “runaway girls” were Gianna and Samantha Rucki, missing since April 2013 and that happened to be the children of the woman Michelle MacDonald was representing that led to the “bizarre incident.”
On May 29, 2015 Brodkorb reported Mother of Missing Lakeville Sisters Delinquent in Paying Child Support. MacDonald was still the attorney for the mother and the child support delinquency was for the other three children that were in the custody of the father, per a 2013 court order.
In August 2015, the mother, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, was charged with three felony counts related to the disappearance of the two girls. MacDonald became a “person of interest” in the case and the police ultimately found evidence at the home of Dede Evavold, MacDonald’s campaign manager, that led to finding the girls who had reportedly been well cared for.
Star Tribune, November 19, 2015, Police: Missing girls found at western Minnesota horse farm Additional charges have now been filed against the mother.
Lakeville police Lt. Jason Polinski said that several more people will be charged in connection with the girls’ disappearance and that details about the girls’ time at the horse ranch will be provided.
Hope for the best for these girls and their siblings as they move beyond their ordeal and whatever traumas they may have experienced. (As I’m not privy to the details of the bitter custody battle will accept the court’s decision as to the best interests of the children.)
Ms. MacDonald denies having had any knowledge of the whereabouts of the girls or that her client had secreted them away, reportedly with the assistance of a group known as “Protective Parent.”
The group is critical of the family court system and believes children are commonly put in the care of the wrong parent, often in abusive situations.
Defying court decisions/orders in this country by Bible thumpers apparently isn’t limited to Supreme Court decisions.
This brings us to the latest news on this case, again reported by Michaal Brodkorb. MacDonald bills Grazzini-Rucki over $222,000 for ‘pro bono’ legal work
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Public records filed in Dakota County show MacDonald has filed two attorney liens against her client Grazzini-Rucki for legal fees totaling $222,730.92, despite claiming in a recent hearing that she was providing “pro bono” legal services to Grazzini-Rucki.
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At a court hearing last week in Dakota County, MacDonald said Grazzini-Rucki, had “no money to pay” MacDonald for her legal services. Grazzini-Rucki was appearing in court to face criminal charges related to the disappearance of her two daughters on April 19, 2013.“I am not getting paid, I haven’t been paid for any of my services at this point,” said MacDonald, who described her work for Grazzini-Rucki as “pro bono.”
Moments later, MacDonald requested to be appointed Grazzini-Rucki’s public defender for her criminal trial and be paid through Dakota County to represent Grazzini-Rucki.
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Not exactly the sort of character voters should look for in any judge or justice at any level. However, the main point in covering this is that when the GOP begins to fray, they do seem to eat their own. We may be in for some fireworks and amusement in the coming months as they GOP begins the process of eating their clowns.