Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who has been accused of domestic abuse twice, spoke Friday at a press conference to celebrate International Women’s Day.
“This International Women’s Day 2019 we celebrate the passage of the ERA in the Minnesota House. Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their sex or gender, When women succeed, America succeeds,” Ellison wrote on Twitter with a picture of him speaking to the crowd gathered.
This #InternationalWomensDay2019 we celebrate the passage of the #ERA in the Minnesota House. Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their sex or gender. When women succeed, America succeeds! pic.twitter.com/CZujNjINmn
— Attorney General Keith Ellison (@AGEllison) March 8, 2019
Ellison was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan, during his 2018 campaign for the Attorney General’s Office. The allegation nearly derailed his campaign, but it wasn’t the first time he was accused of domestic abuse.
In 2005, a woman named Amy Alexander accused Ellison of domestic abuse, and there’s an alleged police record to support her allegation. A police record dating back to 2005 reveals that an “Ellison/Keith/BM/41” was reported in 2005 for assaulting a woman. Ellison was born in 1963, which means he was 41 in 2005.
On Friday, Ellison was celebrating the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment by the Democratic-controlled Minnesota House. The amendment, which still needs to clear the Republican-controlled State Senate, would place a proposition on the 2020 ballot, asking voters:
“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amendment to provide that equality under the law must now be abridged or denied on account of gender?”
“We want to take this question of the Equal Rights Amendment to the people of Minnesota and decide if they want equality, by law, unabridged, according to gender,” Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein (D-New Brighton) told The Star Tribune after the bill passed in the House in a 72-55 vote.
Republicans, however, worry that the amendment could be used “as justification to expand abortion access in the state of Minnesota,” Rep. Nick Zerwas (R-Elk River) said.
Andrea Rau, legislative director with Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, testified against the bill during a January hearing.
“Equal rights amendments have a history of discriminating against less developed humans, those yet to be born, and we do object to this,” Rau said.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) said he will not support any constitutional amendments during the 2019 session.
“The most important job of the Legislature this year is to pass a balanced budget, transparently and on time,” he said. “The Senate doesn’t plan on pursuing any constitutional amendments in 2019.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Attorney General Keith Ellison” by Attorney General Keith Ellison.
