Minnesota senator who sought to label Trump critics as “mentally ill” arrested for soliciting minor

A Minnesota state senator who recently co-authored controversial legislation to classify critics of Donald Trump as mentally ill was arrested and charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution, according to multiple reports.

On 17 March, five Republican state senators in Minnesota proposed a legislation that would classify criticism of US President Donald Trump as a diagnosable condition called “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Justin Eichorn, 40, a Republican state senator from Minnesota, was arrested on charges of allegedly attempting to pay for sex with a minor, according to reports from The Guardian and Associated Press.

Police say Eichorn believed he was communicating with an underage girl—reported as 17 years old by The Guardian and 16 years old by AP—but was actually corresponding with law enforcement officers conducting an undercover operation.

Eichorn, whose official biography on the Minnesota Senate website indicates he is married with four children, was arrested near his vehicle and now faces felony charges.

Following the arrest, both the Minnesota Republican Party and the Republican Senate caucus have called for Eichorn’s resignation. In their statement, the caucus described the charges as “serious” and “shocking,” adding that “Justin will have to go through a difficult journey, and he needs to focus on his family.”

Prior to his arrest, Eichorn had gained attention as one of five Republican state senators planning to introduce controversial legislation defining what they termed “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The proposed bill would potentially classify individuals showing “verbal hostility” toward President Donald Trump or engaging in “overt acts of aggression and violence” against his supporters as mentally ill.

The proposed legislation would have provided a pathway to designate particularly vocal critics of the president as “mentally unhealthy.”

Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy called it “possibly the worst bill in Minnesota history” and argued it either wastes legislative time or represents “an affront to free speech and an expression of a dangerous level of loyalty to an authoritarian president.”