For non-Minnesota residents, today is Primary Day, the day in which the voters choose which candidate in each of the two major parties will be running in the general election for their desired elective position. It’s been a busier than normal season, what with Senator Franken resigning his seat and Governor Dayton choosing, quite reasonably, to have the special election to fill that seat on the same schedule as the regular mid-term election cycle, which means we have not one Senatorial seat, but two up for contention. The governor’s seat will also be contested, as will all the Congressional representative seats.
The big stir in the coffee had been the decision of Representative Keith Ellison (D), the only Muslim member of Congress, deciding to run for MN Attorney General, rather than his old seat. He made the decision at the last moment and it was quite dramatic.
But now that’s been eclipsed by the accusations of his former girlfriend, Karen Monahan, that he was abusive in their relationship.
This came two or three days ago. Yep, no time for Rep. Ellison to really rebut the accusations, or anyone to credibly investigate. He’s denied them, of course. But worse yet?
The accuser claims to have a videotape documenting the incident, but won’t release it.
This all stinks of a political hit-job. My wife (and Arts Editor) is enraged at the timing and the refusal to release the tape. The accuser’s excuse?
Karen Monahan says the video exists, but in an interview with the Minnesota public radio station MPR News, she said she doesn’t plan to release it.
“It’s humiliating, it’s traumatizing, for everyone’s family involved, and for me,” she told MPR on Monday. “It sets the expectation for survivors of all kinds of forms of abuse, whether it be abuse toward women, abuse from police officers, abuse from other people in power, to have to be the ones, like I’m doing right now, to show and prove their stories. It’s feeding into that.” [Vox]
You bet you’re supposed to prove it. Otherwise, this is what happens: a rumor of dubious credibility smears someone’s reputation. It’s just like the Salem Witch Trials.
Anyways, because of this I ended up voting in a primary for the first time ever. I voted for Ellison. Maybe the video exists. Maybe he is a domestic abuser. But, so far, the pattern of circumstantial evidence (see the Vox article for more information, such as the mutual restraining orders, which he received and she did not) doesn’t point that way, and this thing smells to high heaven like revenge for a problem in their personal relationship.
