Investigation sought for Ellison
Minnesota attorney general hopeful denies allegations of abuse
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican Senate hopeful Karin Housley on Monday called for the state attorney general’s office to investigate the allegation that Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison physically abused an ex-girlfriend, saying it could provide “an impartial investigation.”
Karen Monahan alleged in August that Ellison dragged her off a bed by her feet while screaming obscenities at her in 2016. Monahan said she had video footage of the incident. She levied the allegation just days ahead of a crowded Democratic primary for Minnesota attorney general that Ellison went on to win.
Ellison, who is deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has denied the allegations.
The allegation against Ellison has loomed over his bid for state attorney general and over Democrats nationwide, especially as they push for an- swers surrounding the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
The state’s Democratic Party has launched an investigation into the claim. State Democratic Party chairman Ken Martin said last week that he expected the investigation to conclude soon.
Housley is facing incumbent Sen. Tina Smith in November. Smith was appointed to replace former Sen. Al Franken, D-minn., who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
“Recent calls for a congressional ethics investigation, made by Keith Ellison and echoed by my opponent, amount to nothing more than political cover,” Karin Housley said in a statement. “Ellison will have left Congress by the time an investigation could be completed.”
“These are serious, recent and substantiated allegations that deserve immediate attention and raise significant doubts about Keith Ellison’s fitness to serve as Minnesota’s chief legal officer,” Housley added.
Meanwhile, in a draft report obtained Monday by The Associated Press, a lawyer hired by Minnesota’s Democratic-farmer-labor Party said Monahan’s allegation could not be substantiated because she refused to provide video she said she had of the incident.
The draft report notes Monahan’s shifting rationale for refusing to produce the video footage, including that it was lost, on a USB drive in storage or that it would be too embarrassing and traumatic to release. The lawyer, Susan Ellingstad, also wrote in her report that Monahan would not allow her to view the footage privately.
“An allegation standing alone is not necessarily sufficient to conclude that conduct occurred,” Ellingstad wrote.