St. Paul Mayor Her under investigation for sexual harassment for sending 'inappropriate' texts

A formal sexual harassment complaint filed by St. Paul police chief has triggered an investigation against Mayor Kaohly Her. 

The complaint filed by Police Chief Axel Henry alleges that Her made inappropriate sexual comments toward Henry and other city employees. The complaint says that Her used mobile phones to send inappropriate and "unlawful" text messages, and that these were not isolated incidents. 

One message states: "Happy Weiner Wednesday! Wish I was having a (hotdog emoji) with you all on 6 today!” 5 Eyewitness News reported. The statement includes a redacted photo and another message saying, “When she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering." That's followed by laughing emojis. 

A spokesperson for the mayor told 5 Eyewitness News, "To protect confidentiality and the integrity of the process, the City will not comment on an active investigation. The mayor has deep respect for city employees and regrets any unintended impact her actions may have had.”

In his complaint, Henry said that he sent the letter out of concern that if the behavior went unchecked, it would expose others to retaliation for speaking out.