The alleged incident between Ellison and Karen Monahan came to light Saturday night after her son posted about it on Facebook. She then confirmed it on Twitter. Ellison responded Sunday in a statement released by his campaign: “Karen and I were in a relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being.”
He also denied dragging her off a bed, and said a video allegedly showing that does not exist because it never happened.
The allegation roils the race for attorney general, where Ellison has been viewed as the front-runner in Tuesday’s DFL primary.
A fellow DFL candidate called for a criminal investigation and a national women’s group said Ellison should withdraw and resign from Congress.
Monahan’s son, Austin Aslim Monahan, posted that he watched a video on his mother’s computer in which Ellison could be seen dragging Monahan off a bed as he screamed profanities at her.
“This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false,” Ellison’s statement read.
On her Twitter account Saturday night, Karen Monahan defended her son’s post: “That was my son who posted it and its true. He wouldn’t lie about his own mom.”
She reiterated that statement Sunday afternoon, tweeting: “Every statement he made was true. @keithellison, you know you did that to me. I have given every opportunity to get help and heal. Even now, u r willing to say my son is lying and have me continue to leak more text and info just so others will believe him.”
In an e-mail later, Monahan described a relationship where she said she dealt with “narcissist abuse,” including manipulation, lying and victim shaming. In the incident her son was referring to, Monahan said Ellison “tried to drag me off the bed by my legs and feet” while screaming at her the day after they had a fight.
When she told him she wanted to write about her experience in the relationship, she said Ellison tried to threaten and intimidate her.
She said she offered him restorative justice and wanted him to seek some sort of help, but he would not take her up on it. “I told him not only he deserved it, but his family and constituents deserve it as well,” she wrote.
Ellison’s ex-wife, Kim Ellison, defended him on Sunday.
“I want members of our community to know that the behavior described does not match the character of the Keith I know,” her statement said.
Ellison is one of five candidates for attorney general. The others are attorney Matt Pelikan, state Rep. Debra Hilstrom, former Ramsey County Attorney Tom Foley and former state Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman.
“Domestic Violence is never ok,” Hilstrom wrote on Twitter. “The incidents described are troubling.”
Foley said the allegations describe criminal behavior, and law enforcement authorities should begin an immediate criminal investigation.
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Calvinball wrote:Pacino was right.
thephan wrote:pacino's posting is one of the more important things revealed in weeks.
Calvinball wrote:Pacino was right.
pacino wrote:So what's on the tapes
Four federal judges have now all ruled, independently, that the Special Counsel's investigation is proper.
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
When Gen. Kelly came on board he told me she was a loser & nothing but problems. I told him to try working it out, if possible, because she only said GREAT things about me - until she got fired!
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