Sources shed light on 72 hours leading up to Sen. Amy Koch's surprise resignation

The Star Tribune digs into "what could be the most tumultuous 72 hours in state Senate history," which culminated in the unexpected resignation of Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and left the Senate's chief spokesman, Michael Brodkorb, out of a job.

The newspaper quotes sources who say some of Koch's Republican Senate colleagues confronted her over the allegations during a secret meeting at the Minneapolis Club. Sources describe it as a grinding, hours-long discussion. Meanwhile, Brodkorb was told to meet an old friend at a Mendota Heights restaurant the next afternoon, only to learn he was out of a job and barred from Senate offices.

WCCO also takes a deeper look into events last week. Pat Kessler reports there are conflicting accounts of the meeting at which Koch was confronted about allegations of an inappropriate relationship. Sources close to Koch say she was threatened with exposure if she did not resign. Senate leaders say she was the one who brought up resigning.

Meanwhile, Alexandria Republican Bill Ingebrigtsen, who sits on the Senate's subcommittee on ethical conduct, calls Amy Koch "a really good friend" but says she should certainly resign her Senate post if allegations that she had an improper relationship with a staffer are true. The Pioneer Press has more.

And the challenges don't end for the Senate. The Pioneer Press reports they're facing $2.2 million in cuts. The Senate took a 5 percent trim as part of the contentious budget deal hammered out over the summer. Where those cuts will land is still up in the air.

The whole drama comes shortly after the party's chairman, Tony Sutton, also left his post. Politics in Minnesota reports Sutton left the party deeply in debt after racking up spending on the gubernatorial recount. He reportedly signed a deal obliging the party to pay the debt but failed to tell other party leaders about the agreement.