Yet another scandalous incident is coming back to haunt Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is Vice President Kamala Harris’ far-left pick for a running mate. Lisa Hanson, a former wine and coffee bistro owner who was imprisoned for defying Walz’s lockdown orders, told Fox News Digital that he effectively “shut down and destroyed” her small business. She cautioned Americans, saying, “You do not want tyranny at this level.”
A mother of eight and soon to be a grandmother of 18, Hanson emphasized that, apart from a speeding ticket in her youth, she had always been a law-abiding citizen. Together with her husband, she had run businesses for over 30 years. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, her establishment, The Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro in Albert Lea, Minnesota, had been operating successfully for eight years.
Her wine and coffee bistro initially complied with the shutdown orders issued in March. However, Hanson observed that, over the following months, Walz refused to reopen the state for businesses deemed non-essential, such as bars, restaurants, gyms, dance studios, and hair salons. In contrast, liquor stores, “big box stores,” and even strip clubs remained open throughout the pandemic. Republican governors, by contrast, eagerly began reopening their states not long after the pandemic began.
“He shut down a lot of the mom-and-pop shops, those folks that were just trying to make a living and provide a great product and a great service,” Hanson told Fox News Digital. “In contrast, he allowed big box stores, etc. to stay open. Really incredible, an incredible use of tyranny against the people.” Hanson ultimately chose to reopen her business and defied Walz’s renewed shutdown order for bars and restaurants six times between December 2020 and January 2021. In December 2021, she was convicted on misdemeanor charges and received the maximum penalty: 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Hanson served 60 days of her sentence.
“This is the story that America needs to hear, that Tim Walz is not some cuddly, joyful coach, like all the things that the MSMs are calling him,” Hanson told the outlet. “That is not who this man is. This man would like to take your rights away. He will take your rights away. Because what happened to me could have happened to anybody. What happened to me will happen to you.”
“My family has paid a dear price. While I was in jail, I missed out on Christmas with my family, I missed out on my wedding anniversary, and I also missed out on the birth of one of my grandchildren,” Hanson continued. “I can never have that time back. That time was stolen from me. My business was destroyed. My business is gone. After everything that happened, Tim Walz and Keith Ellison [Minnesota attorney general] destroyed my business. They wrecked my life.”
“I’ve heard some people say that Tim Walz is a real nice guy. Yeah, well, he’s not. Take my word for it,” Hanson added. “Through this whole process, I’ve gotten to know other people. Similar things have happened to them when they were trying to run their business and survive. Mostly women, by the way. So Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison really like to go after women. They’re bullies.”
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“They’re bullies. And they like to go after women and torment and destroy women’s lives. This is what they have done in the state of Minnesota. So let America know you do not want Tim Walz as vice president. You do not want tyranny at this level,” she continued. “I have seen firsthand. We, the people of Minnesota, have seen what Tim Walz, the type of evil he orchestrates if he is elected as vice president of this country. He, in lockstep with Harris, who is also evil, will perpetuate this same type of evil on the American people. We do not want that. So this is the truth about Tim Walz. I would like to see Tim Walz impeached. I would like to see him prosecuted for the crimes he has committed against the people of Minnesota,” Hanson said.
“They employed all of their resources against We the People, just trying to run a company, serve a cup of coffee to a willing customer. And they said, ‘nope, you can’t do that,'” Hanson said. “And mind you, there was never an injury. There was never an infection of COVID-19, nor was there ever a death that occurred because I had my doors open and willing customers came in to patronize me.”
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.