ST. PAUL  (AP) -- The state Senate's ethics panel has dismissed a complaint against a Republican senator whose office sent an e-mail saying he wouldn't meet with his election rival's supporters.

The four members of the Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct voted unanimously Wednesday to dismiss the complaint. Their resolution states that the two Democrats and two Republicans on the panel believed Sen. Scott Newman of Hutchinson when he said he didn't know about the e-mail beforehand and that it didn't reflect his office's policy.

Several Democratic senators filed the complaint against Newman after his legislative assistant rejected a request last month that he meet with members of the Minnesota Nurses Association, which endorsed his opponent. They say he broke Senate rules and reflected poorly on the institution.

Newman says his assistant was new in the job and made a mistake. He apologized for the message.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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