Thread by @mbrodkorb

🧵: This thread about Sen. John Hoffman is comprised of media stories, along with tips that I've received over the last few months.

Back in 2017, MinnPost wrote that "Sen. John Hoffman's actions appear to be a conflict of interest" -> mbrdkrb.com/3J9DArW

Just weeks after the seventh anniversary of MinnPost's story about Hoffman's potential conflicts of interest, the Star Tribune reported today, "Ethics experts question if DFL Sen. John Hoffman tried to promote his official position for personal gain" -> mbrdkrb.com/3U3sB9R

If you compare the stories side by side, it's clear that despite the seven-year distance between the two stories, people continue to raise questions about potential conflicts of interest involving Hoffman.

Please read MinnPost's story about Hoffman from 2017. But I want to focus your attention on today's story from the Star Tribune.

In the story, Hoffman was asked about his consulting firm, Hoffman Strategic Advisors. Hoffman claims that he doesn't have any paying clients.

But Hoffman lists Hoffman Strategic Advisors on his current statement of economic interest for a public official, and he listed Hoffman Strategic Advisors on his statement in 2023 (image). 2024 via link -> mbrdkrb.com/4cKaxJq

Hoffman now claims that despite certifying on his statement of economic interest that he received income from Hoffman Strategic Advisors for multiple years, he actually has no paying clients.

This could be a big problem for Hoffman. See link -> mbrdkrb.com/3U3Ym2A

Problem #1: "If you certify that the information on a statement of economic interest is true when you know that the statement contains false information or omits required information, the Board can impose a civil penalty of up to $3,000."

Problem #2: "Signing a statement of economic interest knowing that it contains false information or omits required information also can be criminally prosecuted."

To recap, Hoffman listed Hoffman Strategic Advisors on his statement of economic interest for two years. But...

Hoffman told the Star Tribune that he doesn't have any paying clients.

In addition to his official statements of economic interest, Hoffman wrote on his LinkedIn page, "As the Principal Owner of Hoffman Strategic Advisors, I partner with clients across various industries..."

Hoffman claimed in his official statement of economic interest for two years that he received income from Hoffman Strategic Advisors, and he wrote on his LinkedIn page that "I partner with clients..." But today, he told the Star Tribune he has no paying clients.

Hoffman's "Biographical Details" on the Minnesota Senate list his business as "Hoffman Strategic Advisors" - but Hoffman now claims he has no clients.

The timing of when Hoffman formed Hoffman Strategic Advisors is very interesting.

According to Hoffman's LinkedIn page, he served as the executive director of Begin Anew from August 2021 to December 2022. (I'll have much more about Hoffman's work with Begin Anew later).

Democrats won control of the Minnesota Senate in 2022, and Hoffman would become chair of the Human Services Committee.

On November 18, 2022 - just 11 days after the election - Hoffman filed paperwork to establish Hoffman Strategic Advisors Limited Liability Company.

But why?

There are several possibilities for why Hoffman set up a new company just days after the 2022 election.

Over four years after being set up, ethics questions raised about Hoffman Strategic Advisors' website are the focus of today's Star Tribune story -> mbrdkrb.com/3U3sB9R

Prof. David Schultz said it appeared Hoffman "was using his official position for the purposes of potential personal financial gain.

Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera said Hoffman's use of his title "can arguably be seen as him leveraging his public role for private gain."

This is the second time in the last couple of months that Prof. David Schultz has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest with Hoffman.

In February, KSTP did a story about Hoffman's possible conflict of interest in a bill he authored- > mbrdkrb.com/3UUHFaz

Here's the video of the full story from KSTP in February on Hoffman's possible conflict of interest in a bill he authored.

In the immediate aftermath of KSTP's story, Hoffman locked down his X/Twitter account and stopped appearing in KARE 11 stories focused on a direct competitor to Begin Anew - which is connected to Hoffman.

As I noted in this thread, Hoffman's LinkedIn page states that he served as the executive director of Begin Anew from August 2021 to December 2022.

However, questions still remain about the actual timing of Hoffman's departure from Begin Anew.

In February, Hoffman's name was listed on Begin Anew's website as the secretary/treasurer. However, after KSTP reported on Hoffman's possible conflict of interest, his name was scrubbed from the website.

Does the pattern of website scrubbing sound familiar (HT @jpkolb)?

@jpkolb Today's Star Tribune story reported that after questioning Hoffman about his website, "Hoffman scrubbed most mentions of his Senate status and the Capitol photo from the website."

@jpkolb There has been more scrubbing related to Hoffman.

Begin Anew's website is completely down, and all references to Hoffman on its Facebook page have been scrubbed.

Below is a screen capture of a previous post on Begin Anew's Facebook page with featured Hoffman. It's now gone.

⏰: I'm going to pause to eat dinner. I've been home alone for the past few hours, which is why I've been posting.

As you can tell, I lead an exciting life. I'm home alone for the first time in a while, and I use the time to publish a thread. I may need a new hobby.

🧵I'm back. Since I started this thread, I've received a flurry of DMs with new information, which I will work to incorporate into it tonight. It's encouraging to know that people are following along on this thread. I appreciate the feedback.

On a side note, I had the Despecialized Edition of Star Wars on while writing the first section of this thread. I just started the Despecialized Edition of The Empire Strikes Back - with a run time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 2 seconds. We'll see if I have enough content to post.

I want to start this new thread section by focusing on the first few days of the #mnleg session. The legislative session began on February 12th, and the first hearing in the Minnesota Senate was the Human Services Committee—chaired by Hoffman—at 3 PM.

Hoffman's committee was the only Senate committee to meet on the first day of the session. The Senate was in session starting at 12 PM - Hoffman only waited three hours to schedule a committee hearing.

At his first hearing, Hoffman made a very interesting announcement.

Hoffman announced that his committee would have a joint hearing with the House Human Services Policy Committee in two days - February 14th. Not only did Hoffman schedule the first hearing in the Senate, he also scheduled a second hearing 48 hours later with the House.

Why?

In comparison to other legislative committees in both the House and Senate, Hoffman was moving very fast.

Again, I ask why?

I have a possible theory about why Hoffman was moving at such an unusually fast pace at the start of the #mnleg session.

Weeks before the start of the #mnleg session, Hoffman was featured in numerous KARE 11 stories by @AJInvestigates. In one of the stories, Hoffman said he was "calling on the DHS Office of Inspector General to do a complete and thorough investigation."

DHS later announced an investigation into Hoffman's competitor during the House and Senate legislative hearing organized by Hoffman for February 14th.

Hoffman was still listed on public documents as being connected to Begin Anew when he held the joint hearing.

At this hearing, Hoffman refused to answer questions asked of him by Rep. Elliott Engen on his "extensive ties to Pathfinder Solutions, which received a $3 million grant during the 2023 legislative session in a bill sponsored by Hoffman." See statement.

https://x.com/elliottengenMN/status/1757910799681724465?s=20

Before I go any further, let's discuss Hoffman's "departure" from Begin Anew. He claims on his LinkedIn page that he stopped being the executive director in December '22.

But Hoffman was listed on Begin Anew's website until February as the secretary/treasurer of Begin Anew.

Hoffman was listed as Begin Anew's registered agent until last week—yes, last week! The timing of his name being removed coincides with the media asking Hoffman additional questions about potential conflicts of interest.

Hoffman claims his connection to Begin Anew lasted from August '21 to December '22.

Based on public information, I would place Hoffman's connection to Begin Anew from August '21 to March 27, 2024. The end date would be the last day Hoffman was listed as the registered agent.

Engen's statement noted that "Pathfinder Solutions was founded by David Wellstone, Rick Kahn, and Joe Morris."

Let's explore more about these names and their connections to Hoffman.

Hoffman's campaign finance reports show that Wellstone donated $1K and Kahn donated $500 on October 20, 2022. Andrew Kitzenberg, Pathfinder Solutions COO also donated $1K to Hoffman on this day.

Another founder of Pathfinder Solutions, Joe Morris, donated $500 to Hoffman on October 19, 2022.

Morris' parents, who live in Spokane, Washington, each donated $250 to Hoffman on October 22, 2022.

Over a few days in October '22, key Pathfinder Solutions leadership —and some of their relatives—donated to Hoffman's campaign.

In '23, Hoffman authored legislation that directly benefited Pathfinder Solutions.

This timeline is very significant.

As I noted previously, Begin Anew's website is down. However, their GiveMN page is active, and it helps further establish a clear connection between Begin Anew and Pathfinder Solutions -> mbrdkrb.com/3vG8rJH

This thread documents Hoffman's connection to Begin Anew and the partnership that exists between Begin Anew and Pathfinder Solutions.

So, what did Hoffman do wrong? I don't have subpoena power, so I can't fully answer the question.

But here's a partial answer.

Hoffman did author legislation to spend taxpayer money to subsidize the development of the Pathfinder app and technology. He also received numerous financial contributions from individuals directly connected to Pathfinder Solutions.

It needs to be clarified when Hoffman left Begin Anew. He claims he did in December '22 but was still listed on public documents with Begin Anew until last week.

The true nature of his relationship with Begin Anew needs to be explored before a complete answer can be given.

Again, if you compare the stories side by side, it's clear that despite the seven-year distance between the two stories I referenced at the start of this thread, people continue to raise serious and valid questions about potential conflicts of interest involving Hoffman.

⏰: I didn't expect this thread to last so long, but I've been inundated with tips. I can't commit that I'll get to them all tonight. I just started the Despecialized Edition of Return of the Jedi - with a run time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 52 seconds. So, let's try a bit more.

🧵: I received this from a source tonight, but I had seen it before. The person who sent it to me said this shows that Hoffman is still connected to Begain Anew. It was first reported by @jpkolb in February.

https://x.com/jpkolb/status/1763286063500476622?s=20

@jpkolb Kolb did a second post on this link between Hoffman and Begin Anew ->

https://x.com/jpkolb/status/1763286070148407331?s=20

I checked the link just now, and Hoffman is still listed in the official CMS database as being connected to Begin Anew -> mbrdkrb.com/4alWVT1

Again, this is another example of Hoffman's connection to Begin Anew. Hoffman should explain why he continues to be connected to Begin Anew despite repeated claims that he "resigned."

A source just noted that "This is potentially a big f'ing problem for Begin Anew. They have 30 days to change their Authorized Official or they can face revocation. Why they wouldn't change it raises big questions."

I'm not a lawyer, but I agree that It "raises big questions."

Here's another question that needs to be answered.

What was Hoffman's goal when he started appearing in KARE 11 stories?

I think @jpkolb did the best job explaining and analyzing Hoffman's conflict of interest in this thread ->

https://x.com/jpkolb/status/1758214517916361066?s=20

To paraphrase Kolb, Hoffman called for an investigation into Coke but didn't disclose that he was connected to Pepsi. This is a perfect way to explain this situation.

So, what was Hoffman hoping to accomplish?

After Engen questioned Hoffman on February 14th, KARE 11 dropped mentioning Hoffman in any stories.

Hoffman went from being the opening quote in the story to not being mentioned.

@AJInvestigates last mentioned Hoffman by name the day Hoffman announced the joint hearing.

Once questions were raised about Hoffman's conflicts of interest, Hoffman disappeared from KARE 11's coverage. This is noteworthy and warrants further discussion.

I received a few tips on an echo chamber that promoted KARE 11's stories. It's interesting.

One person who has appeared mentioned in KARE 11's stories and who had retweeted them, possibly more than anyone, is @Randerson041. He's also connected to Hoffman.

Here's a clip of a live-stream video of Hoffman and Anderson from May 5, 2022.

A lot is going on in this clip.

On May 5, 2022, Hoffman hosted a live-stream event from his Senate office, using Senate equipment, with the help of Senate staff, to promote Pathfinder & Begin Anew.

I shared the full video when I received it from a source in February.

https://x.com/mbrodkorb/status/1758232881896309055?s=20

Interestingly, @Randerson041 mentions Carl McDaid, a lobbyist for Pathfinder, in his remarks. She and David Wellstone, one of Pathfinder's founders, also participated in the live-stream.

This video and any reference to it has been scrubbed from Begin Anew's Facebook page.

@Randerson041 Anderson was so enthusiastic about @AJInvestigates' reporting, which mentioned Hoffman's upcoming legislative plans to target a competitor, that Anderson paid to promote KARE 11's stories on Facebook.

⏰: I'm calling it a night. I'm stunned by how many tips I received while writing this thread - many I used, and even more I must review. I don't know how much bandwidth I'll have later today to do more, but I'll try.

I haven't done a big thread in a while, and honestly, I've never done one like this. I was getting more and more tips and intel, which led to more posts. It was fascinating.

Thanks for reading this ridiculously long thread and sharing your tips and intel. Stay tuned for more.

@threadreaderapp, please unroll!

🧵UPDATE: Good evening. I want to provide an update on my thread from last evening. One of the final topics I covered was about @Randerson041.

I spoke with a couple of sources today who provide me with more background on Anderson's involvement with @AJInvestigates and Hoffman.

On December 19, 2023, Anderson led a "protest" outside the office of Kyros - the company that has been the target of Lagoe and Hoffman.

Anderson posted a picture of himself at the "protest" - which sources told me today lasted less than 30 minutes.

During this very brief window - a camera from KARE 11 recorded video of the "protest."

The "protest" ended after KARE 11 recorded video, and protesters immediately went to a nearby restaurant to celebrate, according to sources.

The signs from the "protest" were left behind at the restaurant after the protesters were done eating, according to sources.

Lagoe didn't immediately report on the "protest" at Kyros' offices. It wasn't until February that Lagoe reported about the "protest."

Lagoe framed the "protest" as a reaction to his reporting.

Based on the timeline present by sources today, it's likely that the "protest" was staged specifically for Lagoe's story.

I know there is an element of theater in politics and the media. But this level of coordination and staging raises additional ethical questions about @AJInvestigates' reporting on this subject.

I'll have more updates to this thread tomorrow.

UPDATE: Randy Anderson mentioned - CAROL McDaid, a lobbyist for Pathfinder. I can't edit the tweet - as it will break the thread. Please note this update. It is Carol - not Carl - McDaid.

🧵UPDATE: Good evening. I want to update you on my extensive thread from last week, which broke down the potential conflicts of interest involving Sen. John Hoffman.

Tonight's update raises more questions about A.J. Lagoe's reporting and his selective use of Randy Anderson.

Please read more about Anderson's background in this thread.

Lagoe's stories have frequently included video of Anderson testifying at the #mnleg.

Here's a screenshot of Anderson in Lagoe's March 6, 2024 story.

Here's a screenshot of Anderson in Lagoe's March 26, 2024 story.

Here's a screenshot of Anderson in Lagoe's February 4, 2024 story. Anderson's face isn't shown, but he's wearing the orange shirt on the right side of the picture.

Finally, here’s a screenshot of an Anderson mention in Lagoe's December 18, 2023 story.

This timeline shows that Anderson is a prominent figure in Lagoe's reporting. Lagoe clearly has access to Anderson.

Here's what is questionable about Lagoe's selective use of Anderson.

In a story on February 8, 2024, Lagoe reported on the billing practices of Meyer Belkin.

In response to questions, Lagoe reported that Belkin answered via email.

Lagoe briefly showed the full text of Belkin's response email in the story.

Please listen to the video below and make note of the text Lagoe reads and highlights in his story.

Below is a zoomed-in image of the first portion of Belkin's email that Lagoe highlighted in his story.

Lagoe stopped highlighting Belkin's email when Belkin wrote, "We received our training thur Bold North Recovery."

Below is a zoomed-in image of the second portion of Belkin's email that Lagoe highlighted in his story.

Lagoe highlighted Belkin's email just after Belkin wrote, "Nothing we have done was unethical based on the education we received from Bold North Recovery and…"

Belkin made multiple references to the training he received from Bold North Recovery, but Lagoe didn't highlight or mention any reference to Bold North Recovery in this story.

Here's why Lagoe's decision is questionable.

Randy Anderson is the founder of Bold North Recovery.

An unmistakable pattern has emerged in Lagoe's reporting on this topic.

Lagoe is cherry-picking information he is using from sources and obfuscating potential concerns about the behavior of his sources.

IMHO, Lagoe isn't acting as a neutral factfinder in pursuit of the truth.

IMHO, Lagoe's reporting shows a clear bias and agenda.

Hoffman was featured in Lagoe's reporting until questions were raised about Hoffman.

To date, Lagoe has not reported on the potential ethical questions about Hoffman.

Like with Anderson, Lagoe has access to Hoffman.

In both situations, it appears that Lagoe only uses Anderson and Hoffman as sources when they parrot Lagoe's carefully constructive narrative.

This is one of the most brazen examples of media bias I have seen.

I'll have more tomorrow - stay tuned for updates.

@threadreaderapp, please unroll!