Republican Senate candidate Karin Housley called on the Minnesota Office of Attorney General to conduct an investigation into the domestic-abuse allegations against Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-05).
In a Monday statement, Housley criticized her opponent, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), for campaigning with Ellison while requesting a “quick and thorough” FBI investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who faces multiple sexual-assault allegations.
“Curiously, Tina Smith has chosen to believe Keith Ellison’s ‘categorical’ denials, affirming her support for him and openly campaigning with him,” Housley said. “It’s time to put an end to the hypocrisy and give Minnesotans the clarity they deserve.”
Ellison, who is leaving Congress to run for Minnesota attorney general, was accused of emotional and physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend, who claims he forcibly dragged her from a bed while screaming at her. Despite the allegations, Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party as well as national party leaders continue to support Ellison, which Minnesota Republicans are using against their opponents in nearly every statewide race.
“I’m calling for the Minnesota Office of the Attorney General to conduct an immediate investigation into the allegations of domestic abuse made against Keith Ellison,” Housley stated, mimicking Democrats’ calls for an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh.
“As the state’s chief legal division, the attorney general’s office can provide an impartial investigation into the serious allegations,” her statement continued.
Ellison recently requested a House Ethics Committee investigation into the matter, which both his accuser and Republicans are calling an attempt to save face before the November election.
“Recent calls for a congressional ethics investigation, made by Keith Ellison and echoed by my opponent, amount to nothing more than political cover; Ellison will have left Congress by the time an investigation could be completed,” Housley concluded. “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.”
The DFL is expected to conclude its investigation into the allegations any day, but Ellison’s opponent, Doug Wardlow has called the investigation “laughable.”
“Keith Ellison is being investigated by the party that endorsed his candidacy after multiple allegations of domestic abuse,” Wardlow told The Daily Caller. “Any claim that this is an independent investigation is laughable.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
