It’s good to be king. Team Walz ignores no-drone-zone at Capitol

On May 24, 2023, Gov. Tim Walz held an elaborate bill-signing ceremony on the steps of the Capitol to celebrate his “One Minnesota” budget. Beyond the substance of the event, the press was preoccupied with a drone camera that repeatedly buzzed the crowd, annoying the ink-stained wretches in attendance.

Yesterday, Team Walz released a 2:19 video of the event featuring drone footage in, around and above the State Capitol. If you turn off the sound and forget for a moment the damage coming from his “One Minnesota” budget, the video is pretty cool to watch. The drone flies through the Capitol, buzzes Walz working at his desk, spins through the rotunda before heading out the door, through the loggia to catch Walz walking down the steps to the press conference. At one point the drone flies high above the Capitol dome outside.

When the video came out yesterday, some criticized the cost and questioned who paid for it (the DFL Party did). Torey Van Oot from Axios checked with the Department of Administration to make sure the Walz staff got a permit for the event (they did).

But there’s just one problem with that permit for a “professional videographer appropriately insured to use the drone.” It’s against their own rules to fly a drone in or near the State Capitol.

American Experiment hired a videographer once to capture some footage outside the Capitol and the drone warned him he was flying in restricted airspace. Obviously that doesn’t apply to a governor who wants to produce a slick video about his legislative accomplishments. It’s good to be king.

The drone issue may seem petty, but it’s actually a good metaphor for the entire 2023 session. We have the votes, we’re going to spend the entire surplus, raise taxes and shove our social agenda down your throats. And we don’t need no stinking permit for our drone.