We're hearing for the first time from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty after allegations earlier this week from a police fraternal organization and state Republicans that her office dismissed a report from a use of force expert's opinion regarding Trooper Ryan Londregan who's facing murder charges in the shooting of a motorist during a traffic stop.
"That's political and you can tell that by the timing of it," Moriarty told WCCO's Taylor Rivera Tuesday evening. "Because the morning that the defense came out with their comments, the Republicans are there to have a press conference."
Moriarty says the leaked information was taken out of context and that her office plans to try the case in a court of law and not in the court of public opinion.
"I've said repeatedly, we are not going to try this case in public," says Moriarty. "It's appropriate to try it in a courtroom and we're going to continue to do that because we're committed to a fair trial."
A spokesperson for Moriarty's office also tells WCCO Radio that the defense has all of the information about the use of force expert, saying that they only know about it because it was shared by the Attorney's Office.
Legal experts have confirmed that not sharing information with the defense can lead to sanctions, including a potential dismissal of the case.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officer's Association said on X that Moriarty’s office is "disregarding trying to hide that truth from the public."
A spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Nick Kimball, says it is simply false that the expert engaged by the State came to any "legal conclusion" related to Trooper Londregan’s conduct and had not provided an opinion on the specifics of Londregan's case.
House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (R- Cold Spring) spoke to WCCO's Chad Hartman Wednesday and said Moriarty needs to step down.
"Knowing that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has basically handpicked the witness, and then because it didn't like up to what she wanted, that expert testimony, and then she decided to ignore that expert testimony, it is time that she resign," Demuth said.