Tag: #mnag

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Meets with British Anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recently met in London with Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain’s Labour Party. “Awesome day in London, especially meeting with Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn—a true grassroots organizer,” Ellison wrote on Twitter July 2 along with a picture of him posing with Corbyn. Awesome day in London, especially meeting with Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn – a true grassroots organizer. pic.twitter.com/Jl6HhyVNxY — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) July 2, 2019 Ellison evidently met with some of Corbyn’s political allies, too. “Insightful discussion with Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, on fighting inequality and taking on Trump’s politics of scapegoating and prejudice,” Richard Burgon, a member of Parliament and self-described “socialist,” wrote on Twitter. “Movements backing Bernie Sanders in the USA and Jeremy Corbyn here are part of the same struggle for the many not the few.” Insightful discussion with @keithellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, on fighting inequality & taking on Trump’s politics of scapegoating and prejudice. Movements backing @BernieSanders in the USA and @jeremycorbyn here are part of the same struggle for the many not the few! pic.twitter.com/hzR3l7tPtD — Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) July 4, 2019 Corbyn was mostly a fringe figure in British politics until his ascension to…

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Keith Ellison Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Antifa While Promoting Efforts to Tackle ‘Bias-Motivated Crimes’

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has been working with local officials to crack down on the rise of “bias-motivated” crimes. The Star Tribune has published a number of articles highlighting the effort, and reports that Ellison’s office is in the process of creating a working group that would improve law enforcement’s ability to prevent hate crimes. In late June, Ellison met with leaders in Fergus Falls to discuss the increase in hate crimes in rural Minnesota. “What’s clear is these people are organizing,” Ellison said of white-supremacist groups, according to The Star Tribune. “They’re here in Minnesota and they are violent and they’re willing to stab and hurt people while hiding behind the First Amendment.” The Star Tribune editorial board published a July 5 article praising Ellison for his outreach efforts. “Ellison is doing listening sessions and collecting ideas for how his office can be more helpful to victims of harassment and other types of race or religion-based hate crimes,” the editorial board said. “Ellison’s outreach efforts wisely reflect the need for statewide involvement in combating racism throughout the state and supporting local officials like Mayor Schierer who are trying to combat it.” Ellison has been promoting the effort…

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Ellison Passes Over Klobuchar, Endorses Sanders for President

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has endorsed (again) Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont for president, straying from a pack of Minnesota politicians who are supporting hometown candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the race. “Kamala, Julien [sic] and Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But Bernie Sanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him—like I did last time,” Ellison wrote on Twitter early Friday morning after the second night of Democratic debates. Kamala, Julien & Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But @BernieSanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him – like I did last time. — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) June 28, 2019 Ellison was one of the first members of Congress to support Sanders’ 2016 bid for the presidency. Sanders, in turn, supported Ellison in his run for DNC chair in 2017, and his 2018 campaign for his current role as Minnesota’s attorney general. Ellison told The Star Tribune that his endorsement of…

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Ellison Joins Amicus Brief in Support of Non-Binary Colorado Resident Who Had Passport Denied

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday that he has joined a “coalition of attorneys general” in defending the “rights of gender non-binary individuals.” According to a press release from Ellison’s office, he is joined in the amicus brief by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. The case, Zzyym v. Pompeo, centers around Colorado resident Dana Zzyym, who applied for a passport that would “reflect an undisputed fact—that Zzyym was born intersex and is neither male nor female.” “The U.S. Department of State denied the application for the sole reason that Zzyym did not designate ‘M’ or ‘F’ in the field asking for the applicant’s gender and instead identified as ‘intersex.’ Although the Department stated that it would provide a passport listing Zzyym’s gender as ‘M’ or ‘F,’ the Department refused to provide a passport with an ‘X,’ the marker recognized internationally for individuals whose gender is neither male nor female,” the amicus brief explains. The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado found in a September 2018 ruling that the U.S. Department of State’s gender policy was “arbitrary and capricious and that the passport application denial was in excess…

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Keith Ellison, Alleged Domestic Abuser, Celebrates International Women’s Day

Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who has been accused of domestic abuse twice, spoke Friday at a press conference to celebrate International Women’s Day. “This International Women’s Day 2019 we celebrate the passage of the ERA in the Minnesota House. Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their sex or gender, When women succeed, America succeeds,” Ellison wrote on Twitter with a picture of him speaking to the crowd gathered. This #InternationalWomensDay2019 we celebrate the passage of the #ERA in the Minnesota House. Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their sex or gender. When women succeed, America succeeds! pic.twitter.com/CZujNjINmn — Attorney General Keith Ellison (@AGEllison) March 8, 2019 Ellison was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan, during his 2018 campaign for the Attorney General’s Office. The allegation nearly derailed his campaign, but it wasn’t the first time he was accused of domestic abuse. In 2005, a woman named Amy Alexander accused Ellison of domestic abuse, and there’s an alleged police record to support her allegation. A police record dating back to 2005 reveals that an “Ellison/Keith/BM/41” was reported in 2005 for assaulting a woman. Ellison was born in 1963, which means he was…

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Minnesota’s State Attorney General Ellison and Department of Human Rights Sue Plasma Center for Denying Transgender Donor

Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights and Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit Thursday against CSL Plasma for turning away a transgender donor. According to a press release, Alice James, a biological male, began donating plasma in 2011 at the company’s collection center in Duluth, but was required to list their biological sex on an intake form. James, however, refused, and continued to identify as female on all company forms. Then, in June 2015, James was told by an employee that CSL Plasma did not allow transgender individuals to donate and prohibited James from making any further donations. As a result, James filed a discrimination complaint with the Department of Human Rights, which found “probable cause” that CSL Plasma discriminated against James in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. “Refusing to allow James to donate her plasma solely based on her gender identity is unlawful and constitutes a clear violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Our agency is committed to ensuring that the civil rights of all Minnesotans, including transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, are upheld so they can thrive and succeed,” Deputy Commissioner Irina Vaynerman said Thursday. The lawsuit, filed in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District Court…

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Keith Ellison Says Minnesota Attorney General’s Office Prepared to Take ‘Legal Action’ in Response to Shutdown

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) was joined by a large cohort of bipartisan lawmakers, top administrative officials, and local faith leaders Tuesday to discuss the impact of the partial government shutdown on Minnesota. According to Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans, the state receives roughly $1 billion in federal funding per month, and about a quarter of state agencies are currently affected by the shutdown. The group of state leaders stressed in particular the impact the shutdown is having on programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), veterans health care, and Medicaid. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a one-month extension for SNAP benefits that will last through mid-February, and Walz has directed the Minnesota Department of Human Services to ensure recipients “are informed about any changes to their SNAP food benefits.” Attorney General Keith Ellison spoke at Tuesday’s press conference and argued that the “literally hundreds of federal streams of income” are “contractually obligated to flow.” “From the attorney general’s standpoint, we’re here and we are busy working to make sure that these promises are kept. And we’re exploring the remedies that we have available to us to make sure the federal government meets its obligations,” he said.…

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Ellison Names Outspoken Anti-Trump Immigration Lawyer As Second in Command

Anthony Gockowski

Attorney General-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN) announced Friday that he has named John Keller to serve as his chief deputy attorney general. Keller currently oversees the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, a vehemently anti-Trump non-profit that provides legal services to illegal aliens and refugees. According to a press release from Ellison’s transition team, Keller began working at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) in 1998 as a staff attorney, and has served as its executive director since 2005. “In that time, he has transformed ILCM from a small, regional legal-services organization with five staff to Minnesota’s leading provider of free, high-quality, and comprehensive legal, policy, and education services with five offices statewide, 32 employees—a majority of whom are from immigrant, refugee, or mixed-family backgrounds—more than 350 trained pro bono attorneys, and a statewide and national reputation,” the press release explains. Keller and the ILCM have become outspoken critics of the Trump administration and its immigration polices, and have repeatedly taken actions to thwart Trump’s agenda in Minnesota. Last December, for instance, Keller helped secure $250,000 in taxpayer funds from Hennepin County to launch a legal defense fund for county residents facing deportation. The fund was criticized by Republican gubernatorial candidate…

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