BISMARK, North Dakota (AP) – North Dakota’s longest-serving U.S. senator said Monday he would resign following a report that he exchanged dozens of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.
Republican Ray Holmberg, who has risen to one of the most powerful lawmakers in the state in his 46-year career, has said he will resign on June 1st. His term was due to end on November 30, and he announced in March that it would be his last.
“The latest news has become a distraction for the important work of the Legislative Assembly during its interim sessions,” Holmberg, 79, said in a statement announcing his resignation. “I want to do what I can to reduce such distractions.”
Holmberg did not respond immediately to reports from the Associated Press on Monday. His lawyer, Mark Friese, said he had nothing to add but Holmberg’s statement.
Frieze, a prominent North Dakota criminal lawyer, said Tuesday that Holmberg has not been charged with a crime and there are no indications that he will.
Republican Gov. Doug Burgham said in a statement that he “supports Senator Holmberg’s decision to resign.” He did not give details.
Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said he had spoken to Holmberg earlier about his future in the legislature.
“No charges have been filed against Sen. at the moment. “Holmberg … he thinks it’s in his best interest to resign right now,” Wardner said.
Days after the publication of the report on his text messages, Holmberg announced that he would step down as head of a powerful panel that oversees the work of the legislature between sessions.
The Fargo Forum announced on April 15 that Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages in August with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier. Prosecutors say Morgan-Derosier has several thousand images and videos depicting sexually abused children. He is also accused of taking two children under the age of 10 from Minnesota to his home in Grand Forks with the intention of abusing them.
Holmberg first told the Forum that he had read a newspaper article about the allegations, and then said in a later interview that he had not, the Forum said.
He told the Forum that his text messages with Morgan-Derosier were related to “various things”, including the work in the courtyard that Morgan-Derosier had done for him. He also told the newspaper that there were no more text messages.
“They just left,” he said.
Holmberg has been one of the most powerful legislators in the legislature for decades, chairing the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He chairs the Legislative Committee, which solves committee tasks and selects training topics that often inspire legislation, four times.
He was also a member of the State Emergency Committee, which allocates funding and resources during an emergency, and serves on or chairs several GOP-led referral committees.
When he announced in March that this would be his last term, he said that the stress of the session and the campaign “will only exacerbate the weakened ability to focus on issues and effectively recall events”.
Many North Dakota Republicans, including Burgham, flooded Holmberg with confessions at the time.
Holmberg will remain in the legislature’s salary until May and in his state-funded health insurance plan until July, a benefit that costs about $ 1,425 a month.
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