Minnesota
Related: About this forumFacts about the Lawyer of Karen Monahan, who made an accusation against Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison (D) is running for MN Attorney General. I'm voting for him. He would help workers, consumers, and the environment.
Karen Monahan was Keith Ellison's girlfriend for three years. They broke up in August 2016 and he let her stay in his house while she looked for another place. She claims that when he wanted her to move out, he unsuccessfully tried to pull her out of bed by her feet while she was lying on her stomach listening to a podcast. He denies doing that. She says that's the only time he got physical with her.
Around October 1, she hired Minnesota attorney Andrew Parker.
Facts about Andrew Parker
- He's an anti-labor lawyer.
- He employed Doug Wardlow (R) at his law firm for six years, ending several years ago. Wardlow is running for MN Attorney General.
- Parker hosts a right-wing radio show for an hour a week. During the show, he praises Donald Trump and urges listeners to donate to Doug Wardlow.
- He has appeared on "Fox and Friends" and "Tucker Carlson Tonight" to promote Monahan's accusation against Keith Ellison. He admitted on those shows that he hasn't seen the video which Monahan supposedly has of the incident. (She also refused to show the video to the investigator for the DFL.)
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I originally believed Karen Monahan's accusation. I figured it would be a strange thing to make up. Having learned more about her, I think she's capable of making it up. Maybe she didn't, I don't know. Even if I were certain her accusation is true, I'd vote for Keith Ellison to stop Doug Wardlow, who is anti-immigrant, anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-labor, and anti-environment.
brush
(57,489 posts)what are we to think but that the accusations are false?
Her hiring the right wing troll lawyer makes that case seem even more real. I was also thinking this was another Minn. Dem being dirty tricked by repug operatives (a la Roger Stone/Hannity/Tweeden v Al Franken).
Eric J in MN
(35,620 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(120,834 posts)than something involving actual domestic or sexual abuse, especially since she never accused him of behaving violently. The incident might have happened as she describes, and she claims to have a video (how was that recorded?) - but she refuses to show it to anyone. The timing of her claim regarding this incident (the weekend before the primary election) was a bit suspect, and learning of the connections with Wardlow and Parker has made me even more suspicious. I am always absolutely in favor of taking women's claims of abuse very seriously, and maybe Monahan does feel she was abused, but it was Ellison who wanted the investigation, and she wouldn't turn over the alleged tape. So is she trying to exaggerate a single fraught incident that wasn't either sexual or violent into claims of an abusive relationship (with the help of right-wingers) for the purpose of revenge for the break-up? I don't know, but it doesn't pass the smell test, IMO. This does remind me just a bit of what happened to Al Franken (who also wanted but did not get an investigation), at least with respect to Leeann Tweeden's connections with Sean Hannity and Roger Stone. More attempted ratfucking?
And Wardlow is a total crackpot.
Eric J in MN
(35,620 posts)Last edited Wed Oct 10, 2018, 09:51 AM - Edit history (3)
...is that she was lying in bed on her stomach listening to a podcast on her phone, and Keith Ellison walked into the room and argued with her and she turned on the phone's camera.
Susan Ellingstad, a lawyer, investigated for the DFL. Monahan refused to show her the video. Ellingstad is skeptical that Monahan has a video showing events exactly as Monahan described. There could be no video. There could be a video in which Ellison acts differently than Monahan claims. There could be a video in which Monahan acts differently than Monahan claims.
Monahan also refuses to show the alleged video to her own lawyer, Andrew Parker. Parker is a right-wing radio host in his spare time, and urges listeners to donate to Doug Wardlow (R), who is running against Keith Ellison.
On "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Parker said that Monahan feels it would unfair to woman making accusations who don't have a video to show anyone the video. Carlson acted like that was good logic.
The argument between Monahan and Ellison occurred in August 2016, according to Monahan. Monahan texted Keith Ellison that she had a video in December 2017. There is no evidence of her telling anyone she had a video before then.