July 30, 2026
Mayor Investigated For Sexual Harassment After “Wiener Wednesday” Text
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RSS Feed The first woman ever elected as mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota is now being investigated for sexual harassment after the Police Chief filed a formal complaint of her “illegal conduct” towards city employees. 53-year-old Kaohly Her, who served in the State House and began her term in January, is accused of sending a bizarre text saying “Happy Weiner Wednesday” with a hot dog emoji, referencing getting a “good weinering.” Chief Axel Henry also claims the Mayor’s conduct extends beyond isolated incidents and includes sexual harassment of city employees and members of the Saint Paul Police Department.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, that folks, it is Thursday, July thirtieth, and sure we've all heard of Taco Tuesday, but oh no, move over Taco Tuesday. Say hello to Wiener Wednesday, something Robes and I just found out about thanks to the Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Weiener Wednesday comes along with the sexual harassment investigation. This is a weird story.
00:00:30
Speaker 2: It is wild. Look Wednesday funny enough. I always thought was slightly sexualized because the only way I've heard it described as hump Day, and that obviously can mean a lot of things. So yes, a hump in the middle of the week. The people have had fun.
00:00:44
Speaker 1: With it a sexual thing.
00:00:45
Speaker 2: Oh, I feel like people always make the insinuation or the double entendre learning a lot. So Wednesday has already been a sexualized day, I feel like. But I have never heard it put like that before. Never in my life have I ever heard anybody refer to Wednesday as Wiener Wednesday.
00:01:03
Speaker 1: So yes, apparently yesterday was Wiener Wednesday. Now, if you've already heard of it, yes, it actually does mean something similar to Taco Tuesday. It's a food promotion, right, that's all. It is restaurants on Wednesdays that sell hot dogs and hot dogs stand sometimes they do a little promotion. They have fun on social media, just like they do on Taco Tuesday. But like you said, Robes, Taco Tuesday even it's taken on different meanings. Yes, with the president here lately, if you don't know, Trump always chickens out. It happens on Tuesdays. So Wiener Wednesday has a different meaning that you pointed out earlier. Robes, you thought it was funny. Most people listening can even if you never heard of it, you can figure out why. It might have some sexual reference, but it was you found it funny. It might have an NBC that needed to.
00:01:52
Speaker 2: Do it was, yes, they needed to explain. I actually will give you the exact quote. Wienering isn't in that slang term for sexual intercourse. Okay, thank you, NBC News. I'm so glad you cleared that up.
00:02:08
Speaker 1: Okay, some people didn't know. Okay, but there you go. So why in God's name we talk about Wiener Wednesday on a Thursday with the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Because the mayor of Saint Paul who happens to be the first woman, the first Asian to ever hold that office, is now being investigated Robes for sexual harassment, for inappropriate messages she sent, and one of them that's being highlighted is in fact, one that features Wiener. Wednesday, we will give you the exact the exact text of that, but roped I guess it first stood out. This is a woman being accused of sexual harassment by the male police chief of that town.
00:02:51
Speaker 2: It's an unlikely scenario, it's not one we see very often. And mayor her looks, as you mentioned, first elected female Asian of Saint Paul. She's fifty three years old. She has an incredible story, born in Laos, came to the US at the age of three. She has had a political career. She served in the state House. Her term began in January. So this is an exciting thing for a woman who is a pioneer in many ways throughout her life. So it's just such a bizarre story. Yet yet that yes, the male police chief, his name is Axel Henry, has filed a formal complaint, wants a criminal investigation, and is yes, accusing her, not just in this one text, but of apparently repeated incidents of sexual harassment, and.
00:03:38
Speaker 1: This has to do with innerp as far as I've seen, Robes. Now we're going to share with you excerpts of the letter in which he he's making his formal complaint. But Robes, I haven't seen anywhere a lot of detail about exactly what she was sending who exactly she was sending it to. But we should say, Robes, there has been no indication of there was anything face to fil or physical when it comes to sexual harassment. I'm being I want to be clear on that. I haven't seen that. If you have, let me know. But right now it appears all this sexual harassment had to do with unwanted or inappropriate potentially messages that she sent.
00:04:14
Speaker 2: Yes, that is what I have seen as well that there's no allegation that she physically or was inappropriate face to face with anyone. These were all over emails and texts where I guess she thought she was being funny or clever, but it was not received that way.
00:04:31
Speaker 1: That's all the detail we have, and a lot of it we got from this letter. This letter was sent from the police chief's attorney to the city attorney, and this is where they outlined in robes. It certainly rises to the level and sound serious. This letter was dated April first, but we're just hearing is just becoming public now, that's why it's being talked about. The robes they lay this out and their justification for it and why, but still short on some details.
00:04:59
Speaker 2: Yes, So here are some excerpts from the letter, because this is some fascinating stuff. So it says it reads, the city is on notice that mayor her has engaged in illegal conduct towards city employees. Litigation is reasonably foreseeable. You are also aware that mayor her has used one or more mobile phones to communicate inappropriate and indeed unlawful text messages. And then they give the example of the Wiener Wednesday text and it.
00:05:30
Speaker 1: Comes along with a picture, and so we'll try to break this down and try to understand it. Ropes I And this was a redacted photo. They did cover a portion of it. It's some kind of meme. I didn't see an unredacted version.
00:05:43
Speaker 2: I haven't either, but it's been described as a baby swaddled in a blanket with an adult male face ahead. So I don't know why they needed to redact the adult male face. Maybe it's someone who's identifiable. I don't know, but apparently they had there's like an adult man's face swaddled in a baby blanket in a baby body.
00:06:06
Speaker 1: Okay, So the message she sent said this happy wiener Wednesday wish I was having and then it had a hot dog emoji with you all on six today, whatever that actually means. So that was her statement, and then the meme had the picture robes and included another message as well.
00:06:27
Speaker 2: It's the caption said, when she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good wienering. I'm guessing six is the floor that they were all meeting. Maybe she couldn't be at the meeting and they were on floor six or something.
00:06:39
Speaker 1: I was having hot dogs with you all on six today.
00:06:43
Speaker 2: So maybe who knows. Maybe they were having a hot dog like city employee party Wednesday and she and they were on the sixth floor, and so she just thought she'd make a little funny joke about the fact that they were all having hot dogs.
00:06:55
Speaker 1: That's okay, that that reads. Why didn't she just leave it at wish I was having hot dogs with y'all on the sixth floor today.
00:07:02
Speaker 2: Yeah she had. When you put the meme about someone being swallowed or taken care of by a woman after giving her a good wienering, that's where it crossed the line. I think, yeah, did it. It's always those damn memes. They get you every time.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: I cannot. Can you imagine anywhere you've worked any city, You've imagine the mayor of your city and you are working in city hall and you get that and says mayor her, and that's what the mayor just sent you.
00:07:32
Speaker 2: I would think someone had her account. I would not believe that a a fifty three year old woman who is the mayor of my city and I am a subordinate, would not dare send a message with a wink wink, not save for work meme attached.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: Any chance she didn't know what it was, didn't fully understand.
00:07:52
Speaker 2: I don't think that there's any way to not know what that means.
00:07:55
Speaker 1: My goodness, again, we let her blanket after you gave gave her a good wienering. That is I don't know, And it seems wrong and appropriate? Is it because it's a it's a female to male sexual harassment that I can laugh at the ridiculousness of this message. Yes, but if this was reversed and a male mayor of a major US city sent this to a subordinate, it would be different. How would we be viewing that?
00:08:21
Speaker 2: It would feel different, It would feel more threatening, It would feel Yes, I think threatening is the word. I think that is perhaps why we are laughing a little, because it doesn't appear as though she were trying she was trying to like come on to somebody. It was more just trying to be one of the guys and thinking it was funny. That's what it feels like to me. But I don't want to take away anyone's experience upon receiving this text.
00:08:47
Speaker 1: Okay, So and to that point the excerpt or the letter does continue. And to that point, you don't want to take away someone's experience because Rhodes, I don't want to get that stuff constantly from minds.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: No, I that should be plainly stated. I can't imagine anyone wanting to receive a text like this from their boss. It's just not okay, that's one true. You wanted to say something else.
00:09:14
Speaker 1: I can't stop laughing because you actually put the image now of a male face swaddled after you.
00:09:21
Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, after good s, Oh my goodness. Yeah. So the letter goes on to say, please accept this correspondence as Chief Henry's decision to designate himself as a former complaintant against Mayor her for her illegal employment practices against city employees, including himself. Chief Henry has reached this decision to step forward as a former complainant against the mayor after becoming aware that the mayor's conduct has extended beyond isolated incidents and has included sexual harassment of subordinate city employees, including members of the Saint Paul Police Department. And then he went on to say, recognizing both the seriousness of that misconduct and the vulnerability of those directly affected, he is concerned that absent a formal complaint, the behavior will continue unchecked and may expose others to retaliation for speaking out.
00:10:24
Speaker 1: That is a big deal. We'll get into some of the numbers rows with sexual harassment and complaints, but that is I was surprised to see how many come with companion complaints having to do with retaliation. They make a complaint, then they get demoted or fired. Then here comes another complaint that he's essentially saying, I'm getting on the record for protection.
00:10:44
Speaker 2: Uh yeah, and I think that that makes a lot of sense. And he goes on, Well, the letter goes on to say, Chief Henry, in choosing to act, Chief Henry is not only seeking to address the wrongdoing, but also to create a measure of protection for his team, signaling that such conduct will not be tolerated. His decision reflects a willingness to lead by example, accepting personal and professional risk in order to uphold workplace standards and encourage accountability. We expect, of course, that the city shall conduct a thorough and independent investigation, and to that end, Chief Henry will provide all relevant facts to the investigators. So yeah, we don't have the details of any of the other specific alleged incidents that he claims have happened, but apparently he will be providing that when the investigation continues.
00:11:34
Speaker 1: We just thought about something and maybe we can do this later in a YouTube episode of Robes. Because we have talked about you and I have had these discussions for years. How much When does it cross a line? Do you ever, man or woman, Well, a text message that comes or a joke, do you ever say okay, that's not okay. I don't like it, but as it rise to the level that I want to go make a sexual harassment complaint, there is some level, robes and we worked in an industry where this stuff was rampant, But there's some level, and I know plenty of women, you included, who find there's just some level of tolerance that you're willing to just deal with and accept short of having to go do an HR complaint. And some say that's wrong. It's a personal decision maybe, but this is one of them. I'm sure some people are listening to this and going some fifty year old lady, since you a little meme, do get over.
00:12:34
Speaker 2: It, exactly. But I actually do appreciate the fact that he is doing this on behalf of his team because I do know, and I think a lot of women and sure some men too, have experienced and plenty of us have. I have gone to HR, I believe, one time, but there are about thirty other times I didn't, you know, and that's just me estimating. But look, yes, there is a level of tolerance. You do want to give certain people a pass, but if you see a pattern of behavior, I do think that is what the police chief is referencing that this isn't just a one off, a silly, stupid text she sent that this is more about a pattern of behavior and that does need to be addressed.
00:13:17
Speaker 1: She did address it. Yes, the mayor, mayor her did put out a statement, and that statement didn't necessarily say I'm innocent in this whole situation. We'll let you hear that. And also you need to hear just how many men versus women are out there filing sexual harassment complaints.
00:13:47
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone. It's not Wiener Wednesday anymore, but it was at least on one Wednesday in Saint Paul, Minnesota, earlier this year. Yes, there was a text sent by the first female mayor of that city, Kayleie Hurr is her name, and those who received it weren't exactly happy to have gotten that bizarre and some would say sexually charged text that just didn't feel right coming from your city's mayor.
00:14:21
Speaker 1: Now, I only mention the one, but they say there are more. We have no idea how many might be out there, and how often was she sending them rope. She got an office in January, they sent the letter in April. That was only really three months of what she got.
00:14:34
Speaker 2: In She felt really comfortable in her position with the folks who she was leading, I guess in that short period of time. But yes, so there is now an investigation. There are allegations of, yes, a pattern of behavior, and so what did Mayor her have to say in response to all of these allegations? She said this in her statement as mayor, I take my responsibility to treat every employloyee with professionalism and respect very seriously. I recognize that some of my attempts at humor fell short of the standard I expect of myself. We have fully cooperated with the independent investigation since it began in April, and will continue to do so. I respect the investigative process and believe it is important to allow it to reach its conclusion. I remain confident that the full facts will come to light, and I will continue to focus on serving the people of Saint Paul with integrity and dedication. What do you make of that?
00:15:36
Speaker 1: Two things jump out obviously, the sentence about her attempts at humor, but then it flies in the face of another one down at the bottom, so she recognized. It seems like she's acknowledging she sent some stuff that maybe she thought was funny, and upon reflection, somebody might have been offended. But then she comes down in the bottom rope and says, the full facts will come to light if she's challenging some of the facts that are already out there. Those are the two things that jumped out at me. But she's acknowledging Robes, oopsie and just.
00:16:04
Speaker 2: Kind of saying like, oh, you know, it was just meant to be funny, which very well may be true. That's true, but look the I will say, I know you probably saw this as well that NBC also reported that she was hit with the restraining order last year by a former friend who also claimed that her had sent her inappropriate or sexualized questions. It was denied. Yeah, so, but it's just interesting. It's in the same vein. So, yes, nothing happened and they were able to clear that up. But it's just I found that troubling given the recent allegations I saw.
00:16:43
Speaker 1: And I don't know, it seemed like it went away they said it was. I don't know the way it was explained, obviously it wasn't. Even she never had a restraining order against her. Correct what I'm trying to say, correct, Robes. I don't know what number I would have guessed, But the Equal Opportunity Commission, no Equal employment excuse me um commission that keeps up with They officially receive the sexual harassment plates. I don't know if I would have guessed this correctly. How many men versus women? Almost eighty percent seventy eight point two percent of sexual harassment claims come from women. I guess that would make sense. But yes, nearly a quarter neither quarter are men who are filing sexual harassment complaints.
00:17:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, what's surprising about that numbers? I would have thought it would be ninety percent women, ten percent men. I wouldn't have thought it was three quarters in a quarter. The twenty five percent of those complaints are from men about women.
00:17:40
Speaker 1: Correct, So and again, well, I don't have that breakdown, but it could be men complaining about other men. Could be well, the women complaints could be about female bosses. That's true, that actually does happen, but robes if I don't know if a reminder is needed, but the there is an official federal definition, if you will, of sexual harassment, and it's a good reminder to have to people that it doesn't It sounds so big and heavy, like involved and inappropriate touching or advances or something. But no, just a crass joke can qualify wow for people for sexual harassment. They put it this way. It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature, but it does not have to be of a sexual nature, and can include offensive remarks just about a person's sex, says. Both the victim and the harasser can either be a man or a woman. The victim in the harasser can be of the same sex. The line I underline, there's the one I thought was of note and an important one.
00:18:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is very interesting, it says. Although the law does not prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment, or when it results in an adverse employment decision, such as the victim being fired or demoted.
00:19:11
Speaker 1: Is it a fine line?
00:19:12
Speaker 2: It is a fine line. And then you actually you showed this to me a map of the United States, and it's really interesting where the most sexual harassment charges are per capita, and they're concentrated truly in an area of our country.
00:19:31
Speaker 1: I didn't just show it to you. I came to you for help and understanding it. I didn't and we don't have a good answer for it, and we don't have to break it down. But imagine the map of the United States on this federal website, and it's showing you the states where most of the sexual harassment complaints come from per capita, we should say, but these are in the higher percentages of you will per capita.
00:19:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, And it looks like basically a map of the SEC.
00:19:55
Speaker 1: It is bro They are not one random one in Nevada.
00:20:01
Speaker 2: That could be Vegas, I guess.
00:20:04
Speaker 1: Are concentrated in the South. Every state you can come up with, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas. You also have Louisiana in there, but you also have Kansas, you have Missouri, robes it's a concentrated part of the country.
00:20:20
Speaker 2: All the states touch each other. Missouri and Kansas might not necessarily be considered the South, but they're southern adjacent. So literally all of those states touched one another, and it was they were highlighted in a way that was kind of shocking. The southeastern pocket of the United States lit up with the most sexual harassment charges. Don't know how to make sense of that, but it is worth noting.
00:20:41
Speaker 1: It's worth noting. Perhaps we have some theories we'll share later, but you actually because I couldn't come up with it, and you've offered a few theories, it maybe makes sense if anybody listening, maybe you have your own theory. We won't get into it, but Robes, it was fascinating to see that, yes, per capita, that the states with the most sexual harassment complaints are all concentrated in the South.
00:21:04
Speaker 2: Wow. Well, we will continue to follow what happens with Mayor kayleie her, whether she keeps her job, whether we get some more details about some of these other incidents, other allegations against her. But certainly this is not going away, and this investigation continues into the mayor of Saint Paul Minneapolis. And with that, everyone, we always appreciate you listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside T. J. Holmes. We'll talk soon.
00:21:28
Speaker 1: And of course she meant Saint Paul Minnesota.
00:21:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, what I said, Saint Paul Minneapolis.
00:21:33
Speaker 1: Sorry, they all go together, right, It usually flows that way, right.
00:21:37
Speaker 2: It's the Twin Cities. I just forgot the stakes.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: That's how it comes out. Then, how you say it's Saint Paul or Minneapolis.
00:21:43
Speaker 2: Is Minneapolis Saint Paul, it's the Twin Cities.
00:21:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, even saying the cities, you didn't get them in right order.
00:21:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, alright, folks, I'm blaming it on Wiener Wednesday. I'm still recovering
Speaker 1: Hey, that folks, it is Thursday, July thirtieth, and sure we've all heard of Taco Tuesday, but oh no, move over Taco Tuesday. Say hello to Wiener Wednesday, something Robes and I just found out about thanks to the Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Weiener Wednesday comes along with the sexual harassment investigation. This is a weird story.
00:00:30
Speaker 2: It is wild. Look Wednesday funny enough. I always thought was slightly sexualized because the only way I've heard it described as hump Day, and that obviously can mean a lot of things. So yes, a hump in the middle of the week. The people have had fun.
00:00:44
Speaker 1: With it a sexual thing.
00:00:45
Speaker 2: Oh, I feel like people always make the insinuation or the double entendre learning a lot. So Wednesday has already been a sexualized day, I feel like. But I have never heard it put like that before. Never in my life have I ever heard anybody refer to Wednesday as Wiener Wednesday.
00:01:03
Speaker 1: So yes, apparently yesterday was Wiener Wednesday. Now, if you've already heard of it, yes, it actually does mean something similar to Taco Tuesday. It's a food promotion, right, that's all. It is restaurants on Wednesdays that sell hot dogs and hot dogs stand sometimes they do a little promotion. They have fun on social media, just like they do on Taco Tuesday. But like you said, Robes, Taco Tuesday even it's taken on different meanings. Yes, with the president here lately, if you don't know, Trump always chickens out. It happens on Tuesdays. So Wiener Wednesday has a different meaning that you pointed out earlier. Robes, you thought it was funny. Most people listening can even if you never heard of it, you can figure out why. It might have some sexual reference, but it was you found it funny. It might have an NBC that needed to.
00:01:52
Speaker 2: Do it was, yes, they needed to explain. I actually will give you the exact quote. Wienering isn't in that slang term for sexual intercourse. Okay, thank you, NBC News. I'm so glad you cleared that up.
00:02:08
Speaker 1: Okay, some people didn't know. Okay, but there you go. So why in God's name we talk about Wiener Wednesday on a Thursday with the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Because the mayor of Saint Paul who happens to be the first woman, the first Asian to ever hold that office, is now being investigated Robes for sexual harassment, for inappropriate messages she sent, and one of them that's being highlighted is in fact, one that features Wiener. Wednesday, we will give you the exact the exact text of that, but roped I guess it first stood out. This is a woman being accused of sexual harassment by the male police chief of that town.
00:02:51
Speaker 2: It's an unlikely scenario, it's not one we see very often. And mayor her looks, as you mentioned, first elected female Asian of Saint Paul. She's fifty three years old. She has an incredible story, born in Laos, came to the US at the age of three. She has had a political career. She served in the state House. Her term began in January. So this is an exciting thing for a woman who is a pioneer in many ways throughout her life. So it's just such a bizarre story. Yet yet that yes, the male police chief, his name is Axel Henry, has filed a formal complaint, wants a criminal investigation, and is yes, accusing her, not just in this one text, but of apparently repeated incidents of sexual harassment, and.
00:03:38
Speaker 1: This has to do with innerp as far as I've seen, Robes. Now we're going to share with you excerpts of the letter in which he he's making his formal complaint. But Robes, I haven't seen anywhere a lot of detail about exactly what she was sending who exactly she was sending it to. But we should say, Robes, there has been no indication of there was anything face to fil or physical when it comes to sexual harassment. I'm being I want to be clear on that. I haven't seen that. If you have, let me know. But right now it appears all this sexual harassment had to do with unwanted or inappropriate potentially messages that she sent.
00:04:14
Speaker 2: Yes, that is what I have seen as well that there's no allegation that she physically or was inappropriate face to face with anyone. These were all over emails and texts where I guess she thought she was being funny or clever, but it was not received that way.
00:04:31
Speaker 1: That's all the detail we have, and a lot of it we got from this letter. This letter was sent from the police chief's attorney to the city attorney, and this is where they outlined in robes. It certainly rises to the level and sound serious. This letter was dated April first, but we're just hearing is just becoming public now, that's why it's being talked about. The robes they lay this out and their justification for it and why, but still short on some details.
00:04:59
Speaker 2: Yes, So here are some excerpts from the letter, because this is some fascinating stuff. So it says it reads, the city is on notice that mayor her has engaged in illegal conduct towards city employees. Litigation is reasonably foreseeable. You are also aware that mayor her has used one or more mobile phones to communicate inappropriate and indeed unlawful text messages. And then they give the example of the Wiener Wednesday text and it.
00:05:30
Speaker 1: Comes along with a picture, and so we'll try to break this down and try to understand it. Ropes I And this was a redacted photo. They did cover a portion of it. It's some kind of meme. I didn't see an unredacted version.
00:05:43
Speaker 2: I haven't either, but it's been described as a baby swaddled in a blanket with an adult male face ahead. So I don't know why they needed to redact the adult male face. Maybe it's someone who's identifiable. I don't know, but apparently they had there's like an adult man's face swaddled in a baby blanket in a baby body.
00:06:06
Speaker 1: Okay, So the message she sent said this happy wiener Wednesday wish I was having and then it had a hot dog emoji with you all on six today, whatever that actually means. So that was her statement, and then the meme had the picture robes and included another message as well.
00:06:27
Speaker 2: It's the caption said, when she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good wienering. I'm guessing six is the floor that they were all meeting. Maybe she couldn't be at the meeting and they were on floor six or something.
00:06:39
Speaker 1: I was having hot dogs with you all on six today.
00:06:43
Speaker 2: So maybe who knows. Maybe they were having a hot dog like city employee party Wednesday and she and they were on the sixth floor, and so she just thought she'd make a little funny joke about the fact that they were all having hot dogs.
00:06:55
Speaker 1: That's okay, that that reads. Why didn't she just leave it at wish I was having hot dogs with y'all on the sixth floor today.
00:07:02
Speaker 2: Yeah she had. When you put the meme about someone being swallowed or taken care of by a woman after giving her a good wienering, that's where it crossed the line. I think, yeah, did it. It's always those damn memes. They get you every time.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: I cannot. Can you imagine anywhere you've worked any city, You've imagine the mayor of your city and you are working in city hall and you get that and says mayor her, and that's what the mayor just sent you.
00:07:32
Speaker 2: I would think someone had her account. I would not believe that a a fifty three year old woman who is the mayor of my city and I am a subordinate, would not dare send a message with a wink wink, not save for work meme attached.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: Any chance she didn't know what it was, didn't fully understand.
00:07:52
Speaker 2: I don't think that there's any way to not know what that means.
00:07:55
Speaker 1: My goodness, again, we let her blanket after you gave gave her a good wienering. That is I don't know, And it seems wrong and appropriate? Is it because it's a it's a female to male sexual harassment that I can laugh at the ridiculousness of this message. Yes, but if this was reversed and a male mayor of a major US city sent this to a subordinate, it would be different. How would we be viewing that?
00:08:21
Speaker 2: It would feel different, It would feel more threatening, It would feel Yes, I think threatening is the word. I think that is perhaps why we are laughing a little, because it doesn't appear as though she were trying she was trying to like come on to somebody. It was more just trying to be one of the guys and thinking it was funny. That's what it feels like to me. But I don't want to take away anyone's experience upon receiving this text.
00:08:47
Speaker 1: Okay, So and to that point the excerpt or the letter does continue. And to that point, you don't want to take away someone's experience because Rhodes, I don't want to get that stuff constantly from minds.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: No, I that should be plainly stated. I can't imagine anyone wanting to receive a text like this from their boss. It's just not okay, that's one true. You wanted to say something else.
00:09:14
Speaker 1: I can't stop laughing because you actually put the image now of a male face swaddled after you.
00:09:21
Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, after good s, Oh my goodness. Yeah. So the letter goes on to say, please accept this correspondence as Chief Henry's decision to designate himself as a former complaintant against Mayor her for her illegal employment practices against city employees, including himself. Chief Henry has reached this decision to step forward as a former complainant against the mayor after becoming aware that the mayor's conduct has extended beyond isolated incidents and has included sexual harassment of subordinate city employees, including members of the Saint Paul Police Department. And then he went on to say, recognizing both the seriousness of that misconduct and the vulnerability of those directly affected, he is concerned that absent a formal complaint, the behavior will continue unchecked and may expose others to retaliation for speaking out.
00:10:24
Speaker 1: That is a big deal. We'll get into some of the numbers rows with sexual harassment and complaints, but that is I was surprised to see how many come with companion complaints having to do with retaliation. They make a complaint, then they get demoted or fired. Then here comes another complaint that he's essentially saying, I'm getting on the record for protection.
00:10:44
Speaker 2: Uh yeah, and I think that that makes a lot of sense. And he goes on, Well, the letter goes on to say, Chief Henry, in choosing to act, Chief Henry is not only seeking to address the wrongdoing, but also to create a measure of protection for his team, signaling that such conduct will not be tolerated. His decision reflects a willingness to lead by example, accepting personal and professional risk in order to uphold workplace standards and encourage accountability. We expect, of course, that the city shall conduct a thorough and independent investigation, and to that end, Chief Henry will provide all relevant facts to the investigators. So yeah, we don't have the details of any of the other specific alleged incidents that he claims have happened, but apparently he will be providing that when the investigation continues.
00:11:34
Speaker 1: We just thought about something and maybe we can do this later in a YouTube episode of Robes. Because we have talked about you and I have had these discussions for years. How much When does it cross a line? Do you ever, man or woman, Well, a text message that comes or a joke, do you ever say okay, that's not okay. I don't like it, but as it rise to the level that I want to go make a sexual harassment complaint, there is some level, robes and we worked in an industry where this stuff was rampant, But there's some level, and I know plenty of women, you included, who find there's just some level of tolerance that you're willing to just deal with and accept short of having to go do an HR complaint. And some say that's wrong. It's a personal decision maybe, but this is one of them. I'm sure some people are listening to this and going some fifty year old lady, since you a little meme, do get over.
00:12:34
Speaker 2: It, exactly. But I actually do appreciate the fact that he is doing this on behalf of his team because I do know, and I think a lot of women and sure some men too, have experienced and plenty of us have. I have gone to HR, I believe, one time, but there are about thirty other times I didn't, you know, and that's just me estimating. But look, yes, there is a level of tolerance. You do want to give certain people a pass, but if you see a pattern of behavior, I do think that is what the police chief is referencing that this isn't just a one off, a silly, stupid text she sent that this is more about a pattern of behavior and that does need to be addressed.
00:13:17
Speaker 1: She did address it. Yes, the mayor, mayor her did put out a statement, and that statement didn't necessarily say I'm innocent in this whole situation. We'll let you hear that. And also you need to hear just how many men versus women are out there filing sexual harassment complaints.
00:13:47
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone. It's not Wiener Wednesday anymore, but it was at least on one Wednesday in Saint Paul, Minnesota, earlier this year. Yes, there was a text sent by the first female mayor of that city, Kayleie Hurr is her name, and those who received it weren't exactly happy to have gotten that bizarre and some would say sexually charged text that just didn't feel right coming from your city's mayor.
00:14:21
Speaker 1: Now, I only mention the one, but they say there are more. We have no idea how many might be out there, and how often was she sending them rope. She got an office in January, they sent the letter in April. That was only really three months of what she got.
00:14:34
Speaker 2: In She felt really comfortable in her position with the folks who she was leading, I guess in that short period of time. But yes, so there is now an investigation. There are allegations of, yes, a pattern of behavior, and so what did Mayor her have to say in response to all of these allegations? She said this in her statement as mayor, I take my responsibility to treat every employloyee with professionalism and respect very seriously. I recognize that some of my attempts at humor fell short of the standard I expect of myself. We have fully cooperated with the independent investigation since it began in April, and will continue to do so. I respect the investigative process and believe it is important to allow it to reach its conclusion. I remain confident that the full facts will come to light, and I will continue to focus on serving the people of Saint Paul with integrity and dedication. What do you make of that?
00:15:36
Speaker 1: Two things jump out obviously, the sentence about her attempts at humor, but then it flies in the face of another one down at the bottom, so she recognized. It seems like she's acknowledging she sent some stuff that maybe she thought was funny, and upon reflection, somebody might have been offended. But then she comes down in the bottom rope and says, the full facts will come to light if she's challenging some of the facts that are already out there. Those are the two things that jumped out at me. But she's acknowledging Robes, oopsie and just.
00:16:04
Speaker 2: Kind of saying like, oh, you know, it was just meant to be funny, which very well may be true. That's true, but look the I will say, I know you probably saw this as well that NBC also reported that she was hit with the restraining order last year by a former friend who also claimed that her had sent her inappropriate or sexualized questions. It was denied. Yeah, so, but it's just interesting. It's in the same vein. So, yes, nothing happened and they were able to clear that up. But it's just I found that troubling given the recent allegations I saw.
00:16:43
Speaker 1: And I don't know, it seemed like it went away they said it was. I don't know the way it was explained, obviously it wasn't. Even she never had a restraining order against her. Correct what I'm trying to say, correct, Robes. I don't know what number I would have guessed, But the Equal Opportunity Commission, no Equal employment excuse me um commission that keeps up with They officially receive the sexual harassment plates. I don't know if I would have guessed this correctly. How many men versus women? Almost eighty percent seventy eight point two percent of sexual harassment claims come from women. I guess that would make sense. But yes, nearly a quarter neither quarter are men who are filing sexual harassment complaints.
00:17:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, what's surprising about that numbers? I would have thought it would be ninety percent women, ten percent men. I wouldn't have thought it was three quarters in a quarter. The twenty five percent of those complaints are from men about women.
00:17:40
Speaker 1: Correct, So and again, well, I don't have that breakdown, but it could be men complaining about other men. Could be well, the women complaints could be about female bosses. That's true, that actually does happen, but robes if I don't know if a reminder is needed, but the there is an official federal definition, if you will, of sexual harassment, and it's a good reminder to have to people that it doesn't It sounds so big and heavy, like involved and inappropriate touching or advances or something. But no, just a crass joke can qualify wow for people for sexual harassment. They put it this way. It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature, but it does not have to be of a sexual nature, and can include offensive remarks just about a person's sex, says. Both the victim and the harasser can either be a man or a woman. The victim in the harasser can be of the same sex. The line I underline, there's the one I thought was of note and an important one.
00:18:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is very interesting, it says. Although the law does not prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment, or when it results in an adverse employment decision, such as the victim being fired or demoted.
00:19:11
Speaker 1: Is it a fine line?
00:19:12
Speaker 2: It is a fine line. And then you actually you showed this to me a map of the United States, and it's really interesting where the most sexual harassment charges are per capita, and they're concentrated truly in an area of our country.
00:19:31
Speaker 1: I didn't just show it to you. I came to you for help and understanding it. I didn't and we don't have a good answer for it, and we don't have to break it down. But imagine the map of the United States on this federal website, and it's showing you the states where most of the sexual harassment complaints come from per capita, we should say, but these are in the higher percentages of you will per capita.
00:19:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, And it looks like basically a map of the SEC.
00:19:55
Speaker 1: It is bro They are not one random one in Nevada.
00:20:01
Speaker 2: That could be Vegas, I guess.
00:20:04
Speaker 1: Are concentrated in the South. Every state you can come up with, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas. You also have Louisiana in there, but you also have Kansas, you have Missouri, robes it's a concentrated part of the country.
00:20:20
Speaker 2: All the states touch each other. Missouri and Kansas might not necessarily be considered the South, but they're southern adjacent. So literally all of those states touched one another, and it was they were highlighted in a way that was kind of shocking. The southeastern pocket of the United States lit up with the most sexual harassment charges. Don't know how to make sense of that, but it is worth noting.
00:20:41
Speaker 1: It's worth noting. Perhaps we have some theories we'll share later, but you actually because I couldn't come up with it, and you've offered a few theories, it maybe makes sense if anybody listening, maybe you have your own theory. We won't get into it, but Robes, it was fascinating to see that, yes, per capita, that the states with the most sexual harassment complaints are all concentrated in the South.
00:21:04
Speaker 2: Wow. Well, we will continue to follow what happens with Mayor kayleie her, whether she keeps her job, whether we get some more details about some of these other incidents, other allegations against her. But certainly this is not going away, and this investigation continues into the mayor of Saint Paul Minneapolis. And with that, everyone, we always appreciate you listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside T. J. Holmes. We'll talk soon.
00:21:28
Speaker 1: And of course she meant Saint Paul Minnesota.
00:21:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, what I said, Saint Paul Minneapolis.
00:21:33
Speaker 1: Sorry, they all go together, right, It usually flows that way, right.
00:21:37
Speaker 2: It's the Twin Cities. I just forgot the stakes.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: That's how it comes out. Then, how you say it's Saint Paul or Minneapolis.
00:21:43
Speaker 2: Is Minneapolis Saint Paul, it's the Twin Cities.
00:21:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, even saying the cities, you didn't get them in right order.
00:21:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, alright, folks, I'm blaming it on Wiener Wednesday. I'm still recovering