ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An ex-girlfriend’s allegation that Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison once physically abused her could not be substantiated because she refused to provide video she said she had of the incident, an attorney hired to investigate the claims concluded in a draft report obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
The report was compiled by Susan Ellingstad, a lawyer hired by Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to investigate the allegation against Ellison. The Democratic congressman has denied the allegations.
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 and levied the allegation just days ahead of a crowded Democratic primary for Minnesota attorney general that Ellison went on to win.
The state’s Democratic party launched an investigation into the allegation, retaining a local attorney with links to the state party to determine whether the alleged incident took place. Democratic party chairman Ken Martin said last week he expected the investigation to conclude soon.
A draft report obtained by the AP notes Monahan’s shifting rationale for refusing to produce the video footage, including that it was lost, was on a USB drive in storage and that it would be too embarrassing and traumatic to release it.
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, particularly where the accusing party declines to produce supporting evidence that she herself asserts exists,” Ellingstad wrote. “She has thus repeatedly placed the existence of the video front and center to her allegations, but then has refused to disclose it.
Ellingstad is a partner at the law firm with the state party’s top attorney, Charlie Nauen. Neither Ellingstad nor Monahan immediately responded to requests for comment. The Democratic party did not immediately confirm the report’s authenticity Monday.
The allegation against Ellison has loomed over his bid for attorney general and Democrats nationwide , especially as they push for answers surrounding the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Democrats in Minnesota are concerned that the allegations against Ellison could impact their chances in November to hold onto an attorney general’s office they’ve held for more than four decades. Public polling shows Ellison in a close race with Republican Doug Wardlow, a little-known former state lawmaker who has turned the allegations into a campaign issue.
This is going to make a lot of the “whatabout” right-wing nutters unhappy considering how it’s been their constant refrain since their boy Kavanaugh was shown to be a sexual predator.
I am uncomfortable weighing in too heavily here. It is ground where one must tread lightly, I think. But if you announce that you have video and a third-party investigator presumably operating in good faith asks if you if they can see the video, you’d probably better produce the video.
This would be a whole different ball of wax if she hadn’t declared she had proof and then effectively recanted. I don’t expect video to exist of my every moment and movement. But I don’t announce that video exists, either.
The nutters will just ignore the report.
We’ll see what happens with the other investigation but I think it’s notable she wouldn’t show the footage privately.
I don’t doubt every effort will be made to attack Democrats with false claims of abuse now but it’s really important that we don’t assume any allegations are false, insist on real investigations and wait for their completion to draw conclusions.
The right wing wants to push Democrats into saying “witch hunt!” & we need to not take that bait.
I think a lot of people here would agree that the difference between us and the wingnuts is that we’ve been willing to accept that an assault may have been perpetrated by an elected official that we’ve admired greatly, and we’re willing to kick that official to the curb if the allegation had been convincing. However, I’ll be extremely happy if it turns out to be BS and Ellison can continue to serve. Sadly, the opposition who operate almost entirely in bad faith will use it for more whataboutism, regardless of the outcome.