St. Paul has hired an outside law firm to investigate sexual harassment allegations against Mayor Kaohly Her, including claims that she directed inappropriate sexual comments toward Police Chief Axel Henry and other city employees.
The Minnesota Star Tribune obtained an April 1 letter sent by Henry’s attorney, Chris Madel, to St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao notifying the city that Henry had filed a formal complaint.
Police Chief Axel Henry, through his attorney Chris Madel, informed City Attorney Irene Kao of his intentions to file a formal complaint against Her in a letter dated April 1.
The letter alleges Her “engaged in illegal conduct towards City employees,” and used various cell phones to communicate “inappropriate, and indeed unlawful text messages.”
The complaint included a text exchange with a city employee.
It also includes a screenshot of a text message apparently sent by Her, saying: “Happy Weiner Wednesday!”
Along with that message came more.
The letter includes a screenshot of a message that begins with, “Happy Weiner Wednesday! Wish I was having [hot dog in a bun emoji] with you all on 6 today!” and continues with a partially redacted photograph with an accompanying caption that reads: “When she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering,” followed by two laughing emojis.
According to people familiar with the St. Paul Police Department, a civilian employee typically brings in hot dogs for a small group of staff on Wednesdays, which has been informally dubbed, “Wiener Wednesdays” by some employees.
The photo wasn’t innocent.
Henry decided to go public.
“Chief Henry has reached the decision to step forward as a formal complainant against the Mayor after becoming aware that the Mayor’s conduct has extended beyond isolated incidents and has included sexual harassment of subordinate City employees, including members of the Saint Paul Police Department,” the letter states.
The police chief said more conduct had occurred.
That is allegedly just one of numerous “inappropriate” incidents involving Her. The letter to the city attorney says they go “beyond isolated incidents” and extend to other city employees and police officers.
Henry stepped forward for his team’s protection.
It adds that Henry came forward as the formal complainant over concerns that, without doing so, “the behavior will continue unchecked and may expose others to retaliation for speaking out.”
The attorney demanded action.
In the letter, Madel calls on the city attorney to “take all steps necessary to perform a full filesystem extraction” of Her’s phones.
Henry’s lawyer made clear his client was focused on work.
“Chief Henry just closed a triple-homicide case in under four hours. He’s got a city to keep safe and has no comment on this.”
Mayor Her offered limited remarks through her office.
“The mayor has deep respect for city employees and regrets any unintended impact her action may have had,” Wagenius said.
The police union weighed in.
“Our obligation is to our membership and the focus of the Federation will remain on supporting the rank-and-file members who are out in the community risking their lives everyday.”
This isn’t Her’s first conduct complaint.
Yang alleged the relationship deteriorated in the spring of 2025 after Her set Yang up on a date with Rep. Ethan Cha, DFL-Woodbury. According to the petition, Her later began sending frequent messages that Yang described as intrusive and inappropriate, including sexually explicit comments and personal questions about her relationship with Cha.
The woman claimed threats and surveillance.
Yang alleged Her implied that pursuing legal action would “cost” Yang her “livelihood,” referenced her ongoing custody case, and suggested she could be “committed” or have her children removed.
That case went to court.
Court referee Elizabeth Clysdale denied Yang’s request for a harassment restraining order against Her, concluding the evidence did not meet the legal threshold required to grant the order and did not establish a sustained pattern of harassment.
But Yang wasn’t satisfied.
Following the court’s ruling, Yang told Alpha News she was disappointed by the decision but stood by the allegations outlined in her filing. “St. Paul deserves a mayor who leads with integrity, not intimidation,” Yang said.
In the viral moment that led to current allegations,
the allegations include a text message referencing “Wiener Wednesday,” a nickname for a police department gathering.
Above the photo, a caption reads, “When she wraps you up in a blanket after you gave her a good weinering,” with two laughing emojis.
Beneath the message is a partially redacted image showing an internet meme that was posted by a comedian earlier this year. The meme shows a swaddled baby with an adult’s head.
Her became mayor in a historic moment.
The allegations arose less than six months after Her was elected mayor in 2025, upsetting former Mayor Melvin Carter and becoming the first woman and Hmong person to hold the office.
The details are expected to be released in her budget address on Aug.