ST. PAUL — State Senate Republicans on Wednesday announced an ethics complaint against a powerful Democrat, questioning whether he and his wife were among the beneficiaries of a Minneapolis nonprofit that spent more than $800,000 in taxpayer dollars on trips and personal expenses.

At question is Sen. Jeff Hayden’s spot on the board of Community Action Minneapolis, which was found in an audit to have misused state grants meant to help low-income people in Minneapolis. Hayden’s wife, Terri, served on the board as his designee.

Republican Senate Minority Leader David Hann said he and his colleagues asked for an investigation to determine if Hayden used his position for personal gain and violated Senate ethical rules. Hann also criticized Hayden and other board members for failing in their oversight as the nonprofit’s frivolous expenses ballooned.

“Either it’s incompetence or it’s corruption,” he said.

In a statement responding to the complaint, Hayden said he’s confident any ethical review will “demonstrate clearly that my conduct was lawful and ethical and in no way violated the rules or norms of the Senate.”