Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) was considered the favorite to win a five-way Democratic primary for attorney general in Minnesota on Tuesday; then he was accused of abuse by a former girlfriend — an accusation he vehemently denies. On Saturday night, the son of Ellison’s ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan wrote a lengthy Facebook post saying that he saw a video of Ellison grabbing his mother and swearing at her in a bedroom. This is the second time Ellison has been publicly accused of domestic violence. Another woman, Amy Louise Alexander, spoke out in 2006, going public with her account that Ellison verbally abused her while they were having an affair. She also said he grabbed and pushed her during an argument. Ellison denied even having a relationship with her. There are several similarities between the accounts: Both women were involved in Minnesota progressive politics, and they described Ellison losing his temper and using threats, verbal harassment, and violence. But unlike other cases in the #MeToo era, where media outlets, in many cases, have asserted that women endured sexual harassment, assault, or other abusive behavior, the media has been much more ambivalent about asserting whether the claims are reliable. In the recent case, for example, reporters at local and national outlets haven’t been able to review evidence Monahan herself has pointed to — and thereby confirm whether the alleged abuse took place. Monahan has said she won’t release the video that her son described in the Facebook post. And while she has released dozens of text messages she and Ellison sent to each other, they don’t specifically corroborate violence or verbal abuse. Some texts are obviously cropped in the middle of an exchange. Alexander ended up in a legal battle with Ellison when he took her to court to get a restraining order, which a judge granted to him. Her counter-request was denied. Ellison had appeared to be in a strong position in the Minnesota attorney general’s race as of last week. He’d secured the endorsements of Sen. Tina Smith, Gov. Mark Dayton, and 24 current Minnesota state legislators. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) campaigned with him, drawing a crowd of hundreds. Polling is scarce in the (normally) quiet race for state attorney general, so it’s difficult to say exactly where Ellison stands as voters head to the polls. What we know about the new allegations On Saturday night, Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison’s ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan, wrote on Facebook that he’d seen video of Ellison abusing his mother. Karen Monahan had been posting for weeks on social media about an abusive relationship in her past, but she hadn’t named the man. She confirmed her son’s statement in a Sunday tweet, mentioning Ellison and adding, “you know you did that to me.” What my son said is true. 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 — Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018 Ellison confirmed he was in a relationship with Monahan in a two-line statement, but he denied ever abusing her — or that a video of such abuse existed. “Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being,” Ellison said in the statement. Monahan also released a lengthy statement to local outlet Fox 9, painting a picture of a long-term relationship that was emotionally abusive and had taken a physical toll by the time she left Ellison in January 2017. In her statement, she said the relationship had taken a toll on her mental health and resulted in “complex PTSD.” “Throughout the relationship he would say and do things and then gaslight me when I would ask what was going on,” Monahan said. “He would make me think I was crazy for suspecting things I had heard or had seen.” In the post, Monahan alleged Ellison was unfaithful and characterized his behavior as “pathological lying, cheating,” and “smearing my name.” She also talks the specific incident of alleged abuse, which she said occurred in 2016: One night I confronted him very calm about a lie he had just told me straight to my face. What happened next was a rage that I had never witnessed to that magnitude. He was becoming a person I had never seen before. The next morning, he came into the room I was sleeping in. I was laying across the bed with my headphones on, listening to podcast on my phone. He said he was about to leave town for the weekend and told me to take the trash out. Given the explosive outrage that occurred the night before, I just should shook my head yes. I didn’t look up at him or saying anything. That is when he tried to drag me off the bed by my legs and feet, screaming “bitch you answer when I am talking to you. I said take out the trash, your a bad guest (even though we were living in the same place). He kept trying to drag me off the bed, telling me to get the fuck out of his house, over and over. I froze. He had to leave and get on the plane. He knocked the shoe off my foot and told me I better be gone when he gets back (which was in two days). A missing video file At the center of this controversy is the alleged video that Monahan and her son both say captures domestic abuse. The video “showed Keith Ellison dragging my mama off the bed by her feet, screaming and calling her a “f**king bitch” and telling her to get the f**k out of his house,” Austin Monahan wrote in his Facebook post. But in a later interview, he said he didn’t have the footage.<doc-sep>Rep. Keith Ellison, the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, is fending off allegations he abused an ex-girlfriend, just days before he is slated to face other Democrats in a primary election for attorney general in Minnesota. The accusations surfaced Saturday, when his ex-girlfriend’s son said on Facebook that he had seen text messages from the Minnesota Democrat threatening his mother and a video showing Ellison dragging her off a bed by her feet while screaming obscenities. The former girlfriend, Karen Monahan, tweeted Sunday that “every statement” her son made was “true.” Monahan, a political organizer in Minnesota, has been vocal about the #MeToo movement and previously tweeted about being a victim, but had not mentioned Ellison's name until this weekend. Ellison denied the allegations, saying, “Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being.” “This video does not exist because I have never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false,” he said in a statement. More:Rep. Keith Ellison will remain in DNC position despite run for Minnesota attorney general More:Primaries 2018: Quirky contests coming up in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut and Vermont Minnesota Public Radio reported Sunday that a review of more than 100 text and Twitter exchanges between Ellison and Monahan revealed sometimes friendly and at other times more combative relationship as they spoke about the terms of their breakup and the emotional pain he had caused her. “There is no evidence in the messages reviewed by MPR News of the alleged physical abuse,” MPR reported. Ellison is a divorced, six-term congressman who announced this summer he would not seek re-election and would run instead for state attorney general. He has been considered the favorite to win Tuesday’s primary, when he is facing off against four other Democrats. Kim Ellison, Keith Ellison's ex-wife, defended him Sunday in a statement that was emailed to reporters, MPR reported. "We may be divorced, but we are still a family," she said. "I want members of our community to know that the behavior described does not match the character of the Keith I know." Contributing: Associated Press<doc-sep>U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison Sunday denied abuse allegations involving an ex-girlfriend made by her and her son publicly on social media and shared widely. UPDATE: Keith Ellison’s abuse accuser releases full statement Ellison, a Minneapolis Democrat running in a busy primary Tuesday for state attorney general, responded to the allegations by Karen Monahan and her son, Austin Monahan, after several of Ellison’s primary opponents publicly demanded he respond. Ellison responded early Sunday afternoon, denying he ever abused her. No major media outlets — and it appears no media outlets at all — had previously published anything specific on the matter, which comes during a notorious time as the primary approaches: Media outlets are often wary of publishing hard-to-substantiate allegations against any candidate during the final weekend before any election. Here’s what the Pioneer Press can report — and what we don’t know. THE ALLEGATION About 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Austin Monahan, 25, posted allegations publicly on Facebook and in an email sent to the Pioneer Press and several other media outlets that Ellison physically abused his mother. Here’s part of what he posted, with profanities redacted by the Pioneer Press: “In the middle of 2017, I was using my moms computer trying to download something and I clicked on a file, I found over 100 text and twitters messages and video almost 2 min long that showed Keith Ellison dragging my mama off the bed by her feet, screaming and calling her a “f—ing b—-” and telling her to get the f— out of his house.” No video was included in the post, and the Pioneer Press has been unable to view any such video. Neither Austin Monahan nor Karen Monahan, an organizer for the Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter, has responded to the Pioneer Press’ request for comments. On Sunday afternoon, Karen Monahan tweeted the following: “What my son said is true. 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.” What my son said is true. 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 — Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018 THE RE-SHARING AND DEMAND FOR RESPONSE The son’s Facebook post received heavy attention. State Rep. Debra Hilstrom, one of Ellison’s primary opponents, took to Twitter within two hours. Hilstrom’s tweet, which had been retweeted more than 2,400 times as of Sunday afternoon, reads: “This post was brought to my attention because I was tagged in this post. Domestic Violence is never ok. The incidents described are troubling. I call on Keith Ellison to answer these allegations.” This post was brought to my attention because I was tagged in this post. Domestic Violence is never ok. The incidents described are troubling. I call on Keith Ellison to answer these allegations.https://t.co/CQ1LSVfZqf — Debra Hilstrom (@debrahilstrom) August 12, 2018 Matt Pelikan, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party-endorsed candidate took to Twitter shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday, saying: “Last night allegations against Congressman Keith Ellison were made public. The allegations are extremely troubling. We all deserve a prompt, transparent, and thorough response from Keith and I ask him to respond without delay.” Another DFL candidate, former Ramsey County Attorney Tom Foley, similarly demanded a response Sunday afternoon, tweeting, in part, “You can try to run out the primary election clock but you can’t hide. You need to answer these allegations now, for the sake of our voters and our democracy.” THE DENIAL Ellison’s campaign issued the denial shortly after 1:15 p.m. It reads: “Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being. This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false.” Ellison is divorced. He and Karen Monahan appear to have shared an address at one point, according to public records. After the statement, Foley tweeted the following: “I’ve read @KeithEllison ’s brief response to allegations he engaged in domestic abuse. I always heard similar denials when I was a prosecutor so questions remain. If the victim’s claims that a videotape & other evidence exist, they must be given to law enforcement immeidately. (sic)” It was unclear if any police investigations had been opened into the matter, but Minnesota Public Radio News reported Sunday: “There are no police reports or court documents confirming the incident.” THE WOMAN AND THE EVIDENCE For weeks, Karen Monahan, via her Twitter account @KarenMonahan01, has posted frequently about being in an abusive relationship, often using the term “narcissist abuse” and the hashtag #MeToo. On social media, she had made reference to an “elected official” and had tagged Ellison but not clearly named him as her alleged abuser. As Sunday afternoon proceeded, Karen Monahan began publicly sharing some text messages she said were between her and Ellison. Austin Monahan’s allegation refers to “over 100 texts” and Twitter messages. The Pioneer Press has been unable to see that volume of correspondence. MPR News reported it has reviewed that number of messages, and here’s how they described it: “The tenor of the conversation at times was friendly, with the two acknowledging concern and care for one another, and at other times more combative over the terms of their break-up and the emotional pain Monahan said he caused her. “In one exchange, Monahan tells Ellison she plans to write about their ‘journey’ in a chapter in her book and Ellison warns her not to. ‘Horrible attack on my privacy, unreal,’ he wrote in one message. There is no evidence in the messages reviewed by MPR News of the alleged physical abuse.” ELLISON’S EX-WIFE STATEMENT<doc-sep>(CNN) — Rep. Keith Ellison is denying allegations made public on Saturday that he physically abused an ex-girlfriend. The allegations were detailed in a Facebook post by Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison’s former girlfriend Karen Monahan. The son wrote that he found a video on his mother’s computer in 2017 that allegedly showed the Minnesota Democrat attempting to drag his mother off a bed while cursing at her. CNN first spoke with Karen Monahan on Friday and Saturday about social media posts she’d made, some obliquely referencing Ellison. CNN was in the process of reporting the story when her son went public Saturday afternoon. CNN has asked to view the video, but Monahan said she could not produce it. The charges came just days before a Tuesday primary election in which Ellison is running to be the Democratic nominee for Minnesota’s attorney general. On Sunday, two of Ellison’s Democratic primary opponents, state representative Debra Hilstrom and Minneapolis attorney Matt Pelikan, called on him to respond to the allegations. Ellison denied the claims on Sunday and said no video of the incident existed because it did not happen. “Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being,” Ellison said in a statement. “This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false.” In conversations with CNN on Friday and Saturday, Monahan, an organizer with the environmental group the Sierra Club, said Ellison was emotionally abusive and on one occasion physically abusive near the end of their relationship in late 2016, prompting her to move out of Ellison’s apartment. She said that alleged physical altercation was the incident her son referred to involving Ellison allegedly pulling her off the bed and cursing at her. Monahan said she discreetly recorded the video on her cell phone and then uploaded it onto her computer. Monahan said Saturday that she did not know where the video was because she misplaced it when moving. Monahan also said she would not want the video made public in any case, calling it “embarrassing.” Asked again on Monday about the video, Monahan said she put it on a flash drive and packed it up in her previous home and couldn’t immediately find it because it was in storage. “It’s not on me to show embarrassing and traumatizing video that impacts both families,” Monahan told CNN on Monday. Three friends of Monahan, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of backlash, told CNN she had confided in them about the bed incident in the months after she had moved out of Ellison’s apartment. Monahan also shared with CNN dozens of screenshots of text messages and Twitter direct messages she claimed she exchanged with Ellison. Monahan provided one text of her mentioning the physical altercation to Ellison in December 2017. “Keith, We never discussed – the video I have of you trying to drag me off the bed, yelling get the f*** out now, calling me a bitch and saying I hate you bitch,” the text message read. In follow up texts viewed by CNN, Ellison did not directly address the physical altercation. Other messages viewed by CNN do not specifically show incidents of verbal abuse. In one, she tells Ellison that she plans to mention him in her book and he says she does not have his permission to do so. Other text messages showed Ellison and Monahan discussing removing her things from the apartment they shared after Monahan moved out. The conversations are at times cordial. When asked for further comment, Ellison’s campaign referred back to the original statement. A representative for the Democratic National Committee did not return a request for comment. Ellison serves as deputy chair of the committee. Monahan said coming forward had nothing to do with hurting Ellison in the primary election. “People can vote for whoever they feel is the best candidate based on their values. This has nothing to do with that,” she said. “Me sharing my story has nothing to do with the primary election. It is never a good time for a survivor to share their story. If I waited a week later, it would become an issue between a Democrat and Republican.”<doc-sep>
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) speaks during a rally on jobs December 7, 2016 at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC. Photo : Alex Wong ( Getty Images ) U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is a darling of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. He’s the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee. He’s young, charismatic and was the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. He is a frontrunner to become his state’s attorney general, but all of that may come to a devastating end after the son of a former girlfriend claims that Ellison was a violent man who allegedly beat his mother and one attack was reportedly captured on video. Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison’s former girlfriend, Karen Monahan, posted a lengthy message to his Facebook page claiming that Ellison was not only physically abusive during his relationship with Monahan but continued the intimidation in a series of text messages, threatening the woman should she ever come forward. Austin also claimed that he’d found video of Ellison dragging his mother off her bed and yelling profanities at her. “Sitting all this time, watching what our mom went through and not being able to say or do anything was hard as hell,” Austin Monahan, 25, wrote. “None of you know the hell our family has gone through. I don’t think half of you would even care. We watched her so called political friends stand by say or do nothing. People had an idea what happened and never reached out to my mom.” On Sunday, shortly after the post began going viral, Ellison strongly denied the abuse allegations and claimed that there was no video of the alleged incident because he never acted in this manner. “Karen and I were in a longterm relationship, which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being,” Ellison said in the statement, viewed by ABC News. “This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false.” (The Root reached out to Ellison for comment. At this post’s publication he has not responded .) Karen Monahan confirmed her son’s account of events and issued a statement to Fox 9 a portion of which can be read below. T he entire statement can be read here. Throughout the relationship he would say and do things and then gaslight me when I would ask what was going on. He would make me think I was crazy for suspecting things I had heard or had seen. Come to find out, everything that I would bring up was actually true. The more I would see and hear things, the more I would bring it up. The anger and rage were ramping up. He would say and do things to manipulate me, so I wouldn’t bring certain issue up. A few examples of using power and control, cancel trips, tell me to move on a regular basis and would tell me I made him do it because I wouldn’t stop arguing. Basically, the things I would hear and suspect, which were true, I wasn’t allowed to mention or I would deal with some ramification It got worse as time went on.. The pathological lying, cheating, smearing my name and seeking validation and sympathy from the various females he was preying on, kept getting more and more frequent. He would word certain text where he there was plausible deniability but with everything else, it was so clear. After the relationship, others confirmed various things I was suspect to. That is part of the crazy making with narcissist abuse. One night I confronted him very calm about a lie he had just told me straight to my face. What happened next was a rage that I had never witnessed to that magnitude. He was becoming a person I had never seen before. The next morning, he came into the room I was sleeping in. I was laying across the bed with my headphones on, listening to podcast on my phone. He said he was about to leave town for the weekend and told me to take the trash out. Given the explosive outrage that occurred the night before, I just should shook my head yes. I didn’t look up at him or saying anything. That is when he tried to drag me off the bed by my legs and feet, screaming “bitch you answer when I am talking to you.