Politics

Rep. Keith Ellison Denies Allegations of Domestic Violence

UNDER SCRUTINY

After the son of his former girlfriend claimed on Facebook that he’d witnessed the alleged abuse in a video.

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Christopher Aluka Berry/Reuters

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), currently in the running to become Minnesota’s next attorney general, has denied allegations of domestic violence against his former partner. In a statement released Sunday, Ellison refuted claims that he was caught in a video abusing Karen Monahan, with whom he’d been in a long-term relationship until 2016. Monahan’s son, Austin Monahan, had taken to Facebook late Saturday to accuse Ellison of dragging his mother “off the bed by her feet” and verbally abusing her. Austin Monahan claimed he had found video of the incident on his mother’s computer, as well as threatening messages allegedly sent by Ellison. Karen Monahan had also repeatedly hinted at abuse allegations on Twitter in recent months. “This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false,” Ellison said in response to the allegations. Minnesota Public Radio, which reviewed more than 100 text and Twitter messages shared between Ellison and Monahan after their break-up, said Sunday that there was no evidence in the messages of the alleged domestic abuse.

Read it at Minnesota Public Radio