A top newspaper in Minnesota on Tuesday joined the legal effort to unseal the divorce records of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who has been the focus of an investigation into allegations of physical abuse leveled by a former girlfriend.
Karen Monahan said Ellison once dragged her off a bed by her feet while screaming obscenities. She claims to have video footage of the 2016 incident but has refused to release it, saying it’s embarrassing. She also reportedly told CNN that she misplaced it.
The Star Tribune of Minneapolis joined a right-leaning online news website, Alpha News, in the push to unseal the records. The paper pointed out that — in most cases — divorce papers in the state are considered public information, unless both sides agree to seal them. The paper contends that it is a matter of public interest.
Kim Ellison, his ex-wife, is against the papers being released and said he was never abusive to her. The two will file paperwork to stop the effort, the report said. – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Minnesota Democrats’ self-described “independent” investigation into domestic abuse allegations against Rep. Keith Ellison is being handled by the party attorney’s legal partner.
Ellison, the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee and nominee for Minnesota attorney general, is accused of physically and emotionally abusing his ex-girlfriend, liberal Sierra Club activist Karen Monahan. Ellison has repeatedly denied Monahan’s accusations.
Minneapolis lawyer Susan Ellingstad took over the Ellison investigation from the state party’s attorney following Ellison’s primary victory in August, the Associated Press reportedTuesday.
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin told the AP they hired Ellingstad to make sure the investigation “wouldn’t be colored by people with associations with the party.”
Ellingstad is a legal partner with the state party’s attorney, Charlie Nauen, who the AP reported handled the early stages of the investigation. Ellingstad and Nauen are partners at Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P., which bears the DFL attorney’s name.
Another Lockridge partner, David Zoll, represented Martin and the DFL in their unsuccessful bid to get then-candidate Donald Trump thrown off of the state ballot in 2016, court documents show. Zoll worked with powerhouse Democratic law firm Perkins Coie L.L.P. on the case. – READ MORE
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