Sen. Amy Koch issued a statement late Tuesday afternoon concerning GOP Sen. John Howe’s comments in a Monday MinnPost story about reaction he received from other Republican senators during the recent legislative session.
Here is her statement:
“A recent MinnPost article included a reference to an exchange between two state senators where Senator John Howe (R-Redwing) was told: ‘Howe, quit fighting the party.’ In MinnPost's story, the comment is attributed to ‘one leader in former Majority Leader Amy Koch’s team.’ Senator Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) made the following statement in response.
‘I want to clarify a story published yesterday by MinnPost of an exchange between two state senators and the report's allusion to my involvement. My understanding of the exchange, confirmed with Senator John Howe today, is that Senator Geoff Michel told him, 'Howe, quit fighting the party.'
‘While Senator Michel was a member of Senate leadership at the time, I did not authorize or direct him to say this. In fact, I had no knowledge of the exchange until December when Senator Howe recalled the story,’ said Senator Koch.”