# GOP Reps. Defend Day Drinking, Say It's Common at Capitol **Published:** 2026-05-03T12:00:05.000Z **Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/03/repub/other-minnesota-legislators-also-drink-on-the-job-gop-lawmakers-argue-in-defense-of-day-drinking/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/gop-reps-defend-day-drinking-say-it-s-common-at-capitol ST. PAUL, Minn. — Two Republican state representatives defended their decision to leave a legislative committee meeting to drink at a St. Paul bar Friday, arguing the practice is commonplace at the Minnesota Capitol and contending they violated no House rules, according to reporting from [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/03/repub/other-minnesota-legislators-also-drink-on-the-job-gop-lawmakers-argue-in-defense-of-day-drinking/). [Rep. Elliott Engen, R-White Bear Township, and Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, testified before the Minnesota House Ethics Committee](https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/03/27/republican-rep-elliott-engen-arrested-dwi-drunk-driving) about their March 26 absence from a House Education Finance Committee hearing. The lawmakers left the committee meeting early to visit Burger Moe's, where a former House staffer photographed them with beers during the time the committee was still in session. Engen, a candidate for state auditor, acknowledged drinking one beer during the lunch, while Hudson said he consumed two alcoholic beverages. Both claimed they were entitled to take a break and called the Democratic ethics complaint frivolous. "As everyone with any proximity to the Legislature well knows, members leaving hearings or floor sessions for a wide variety of reasons, both official and personal, is extremely commonplace," Hudson said. Hudson argued the Legislature itself is primarily performative, with predetermined outcomes. He suggested presenting witnesses who could testify about other forms of misconduct at the Capitol. "I would have had the opportunity to present witnesses who could testify to the number of vodka shooters that they find in the women's restroom off of the retiring room," Hudson said. The defense came in response to [a Democratic ethics complaint filed by House Floor Leader Jamie Long](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-house-democrats-republicans-ethics-complaints/), who argued that leaving work to drink during the legislative day is unacceptable. "In no other job is it acceptable to leave in the middle of the work day to go drinking, and it should not be acceptable at the Capitol either," Long said. The ethics complaint was filed following Engen's arrest hours after leaving the bar. [Early on March 27, Engen was arrested on suspicion of DWI after a traffic stop in White Bear Lake and registered a blood alcohol content of 0.13 percent](https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/minnesota-representative-auditor-candidate-elliott-engen-arrested-on-suspicion-of-dwi/), above the state's 0.08 percent legal limit. Hudson was a passenger in Engen's truck and was carrying a loaded 9mm handgun at the time but was not charged due to a lack of sobriety testing. Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel testified in defense of Engen, arguing that other lawmakers have faced similar DWI charges with fewer consequences. He also pointed to a St. Paul bar's "Dine Across the Aisle" promotion offering free meals to Republican and Democratic lawmakers eating together, noting multiple photographs of legislators with beers had generated no complaints. The ethics committee, composed of two Republicans and two Democrats, [found no probable cause and dismissed the complaint against Engen and Hudson](https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/19141), though it issued a statement reaffirming that lawmakers are expected to attend committee meetings. [GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth stripped both men of their committee assignments in April](https://minnesotareformer.com/2026/04/06/gop-reps-engen-hudson-to-be-stripped-of-committee-assignments-following-dwi-incident/). ## Sources - [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/03/repub/other-minnesota-legislators-also-drink-on-the-job-gop-lawmakers-argue-in-defense-of-day-drinking/) - [Axios reporting on Engen's DWI arrest and blood alcohol content](https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/03/27/republican-rep-elliott-engen-arrested-dwi-drunk-driving) - [KSTP reporting on Engen's arrest details](https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/minnesota-representative-auditor-candidate-elliott-engen-arrested-on-suspicion-of-dwi/) - [CBS Minnesota on Democratic ethics complaint and Committee removal](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-house-democrats-republicans-ethics-complaints/) - [Minnesota House Session Daily on ethics committee hearing](https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/19141) - [Minnesota Reformer on committee assignments being stripped](https://minnesotareformer.com/2026/04/06/gop-reps-engen-hudson-to-be-stripped-of-committee-assignments-following-dwi-incident/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/03/repub/other-minnesota-legislators-also-drink-on-the-job-gop-lawmakers-argue-in-defense-of-day-drinking/.