Grandma jailed for defying Walz's COVID rules issues stark warning: 'America needs to know'
Lisa Hanson was convicted on misdemeanor charges after defying strict COVID lockdown policies
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While Kamala Harris has issued glowing reviews of her VP pick, not all Minnesota residents share the same perspective on Gov. Tim Walz's leadership.
A former business owner slammed the executive's policies, recounting an ordeal that left her facing jail time after defying Walz's strict COVID lockdown policies.
"[Tim Walz's] policies destroy the American people's rights, the Minnesotans' rights to be specific. He destroyed so many businesses in the state of Minnesota never to open again. He destroyed so many lives in Minnesota, literally," Lisa Hanson said on "America's Newsroom," Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FORMER MINNESOTA RESIDENT UNLOADS ON GOV WALZ AFTER MOTHER DIED ‘OF LONELINESS’ DURING PANDEMIC
Hanson owned the Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro in Albert Lea, about 90 miles south of Minneapolis. At the time the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing in 2020, the bistro had been open for eight years.
Initially, Hanson complied with the shutdown ordered that March. The grandmother of 18 watched for months afterward as Walz never fully reopened the state when it came to businesses deemed nonessential.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"America needs to know what kind of a man Tim Walz is." - Former Minnesota small business owner Lisa Hanson
Hanson eventually decided to reopen her business and defied Walz's renewed shutdown order for bars and restaurants six times between December 2020 and January 2021.
"November came, and again, I told my husband, I said, 'we can't do this. We can't survive another shutdown.' So I had two choices. I decided I was either going to close my business permanently because we couldn't afford to stay in business any longer, or I was going to open up fully, see if we can survive this," Hanson explained.
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13, 2024 - Governor Tim Walz, vice presidential nominee, delivers remarks at the AFSCME's 46th International Convention in Los Angeles on August 13, 2024. Walz was joined by AFSCME President Lee Saunders and public service workers from all over the U.S. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
She was convicted in December 2021 on misdemeanor charges and received the maximum sentence of 90 days and a $1,000 fine. Hanson ended up serving two-thirds of her sentence, 60 days.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"When I faced these tyrannical leaders, if you will, there were no rights," she said. "This is a really important story that needs to be shared. America needs to know what kind of a man Tim Walz is."
Within 24 to 48 hours of first reopening her wine and coffee bistro in December 2020, Hanson said "the state came down on us with a vengeance," siccing the health department on her business and eventually bringing about a half dozen civil and criminal cases against her.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Incurring tens of thousands in legal fees and fines, Hanson said her business was eventually forced to close while under intense pressure from the government.
"The man is a criminal, and he should be impeached, and he should be prosecuted," said Hanson, who has since moved to Iowa.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.