ROCHESTER, Minn. – An attorney for Congressman Jim Hagedorn’s re-election campaign warned against reading too much into a tape recording of an August 7 telephone call between Hagedorn and Peter Su, his chief of staff. “There is nothing to suggest that Congressman Hagedorn had knowledge of the hiring of the vendors, that he approved of them, or that anyone other than Mr. Su was the one who selected them,” said Elliot Berke. One vendor is owned by Su’s brother, the other by John Sample, a part-time employee in Hagedorn’s office. When the issue of a conflict of interest and excessive spending erupted, Hagedorn hired Berke to conduct an internal review. Berke called the August 7 tape a “potentially illegal recording.” He said the matter would be turned over to Capitol Police and the Justice Department. But Virginia, where Su lives, requires only one party on a call to be aware of that a recording is being made. So too with Minnesota and the District of Columbia.

‘Swift action’

Attorney Elliot Berke, whose internal review was paid for by Hagedorn, states: “When Congressman Hagedorn became concerned about potential excessive franking charges incurred by his office on June 18, 2020, he took swift action and took corrective action.” Su was terminated the next day, Berke’s review noted.

Su-Sample ties

Before going Hagedorn’s staff, Peter Su and John Sample both worked for Governor Bob McDonnell’s administration in the Virginia Department of Business Assistance, which Su led.