Roiled by sexual harassment allegations, Minnesota Senate DFL calls for outside probe

Aug. 5—Facing allegations of improperly addressing sexual harassment claims of a former employee, Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent, DFL-Woodbury, and other Democratic Senate leaders have called for an independent investigation.

At the heart of the matter are allegations made by a woman who worked for the Senate in the office a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party senator and also worked for the DFL Senate political campaign, which is distinct from the legislative operation.

The Minnesota Reformer broke the story late last month, painting a picture of a close-knit group of DFL men at the center of the matter.

According to the Reformer, the woman alleges that Clay Schwartzwalter made repeated unwanted advances toward her from November 2019 trough August 2020. During that period, Schwartzwalter served as Kent's campaign manager and worked as an aide in the House. He's also the half-brother of Sen. Jason Isaacson, DFL-Shoreview, to whom the woman reported. Isaacson is also close friends with Senate DFL Chief of Staff John Pollard, who played a key role in responding to her complaints. Isaacson had rented a room in Pollard's home during the past election cycle, the Reformer reported. She filed complaints with both the Senate and the DFL Party; it's the Senate complaint that she alleges wasn't properly investigated.

The news has rapidly cast a harsh spotlight on Kent and her leadership of the Senate's DFL caucus, which she took over in early 2020. Several dozen House DFL staffers have come out in support of the woman, and several of Kent's DFL colleagues in the Senate last week called for an investigation into the matter. The first to call for such an investigation, Sen. Melisa Franzen, DFL-Edina, resigned her post as assistant minority leader saying she should have been told about the complaint and an investigation should have been called for immediately.

The woman, Cynthia Callais, has essentially confirmed her allegations publicly on Twitter, writing: "11 months ago, I turned to DFL leaders to protect me in my workplace. Instead, I was told to find another job." Callais could not be reached for comment directly for this story.

11 months ago, I turned to DFL leaders to protect me in my workplace. Instead, I was told to find another job. My story is not unique — we are susceptible to sexual harassment in nearly every aspect of our lives.

We can do better. We must do better. This is my story. https://t.co/FZDqmK9juw

— Cynthia Callais (@CynthiaCallais) July 28, 2021

On Tuesday, Kent sent a letter to Cal Ludeman, secretary of the Senate, calling for the outside investigation, which she said was needed because the actions of the Senate's nonpartisan human resources staff was being questioned as well.

Kent wrote, in part, "whenever an employee, former or current, believes that the policies were not implemented correctly in their matter, it is our duty to validate their voice and take their concerns seriously. Hence, we make our request for an investigation."

Through a spokeswoman, Kent declined to comment for this story. She defended her actions to the Reformer, saying she forced Schwartzwalter to resign from her campaign soon after learning of Callais' allegations.

Pollard declined to comment through a spokeswoman, citing personnel policy.

The Minnesota Reformer is an online non-profit journalism outlet that launched in January 2020 and receives much of its funding from left-leaning donors.

Schwartzwalter could not be reached for comment Thursday. In a statement to the Reformer, he denied ever harassing Callais. He is no longer employed in the House.

Pollard could not be reached for comment Thursday. He told the Reformer he has always reported any cases to HR.

Isaacson could not be reached for comment Thursday. In a statement to the Reformer, he said Senate policy prevented him from commenting on a personnel matter.

In 2019, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Senate updated its then-29-year-old sexual harassment policy with the goal of ensuring everyone, including staffers, were protected from harassment and would see their complaints thoroughly investigated.