Ex-governor wins $1.8M

ST. PAUL — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura says he has mixed emotions about winning his defamation lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

Ventura said that he is glad his reputation is restored, but wonders who will be next to throw him “under the bus.”

The former Navy SEAL and pro wrestler won $1.8 million Tuesday in a two-year fight to prove he was defamed by military sniper and best-selling author Chris Kyle, who claimed to have punched out Ventura at a bar for bad-mouthing SEALs.

A federal jury sided with Ventura in his lawsuit against Kyle, who was killed last year in Texas.

Ventura says that since Kyle’s book “American Sniper” was published in 2012, he no longer feels welcome at Navy SEALs reunions.