Deputy DNC chair Keith Ellison denies ugly domestic abuse claim coming days before his primary

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison has denied he abused his ex-girlfriend, an accusation that surfaced just a few days before Ellison’s primary battle on Tuesday for Minnesota attorney general.

On Saturday, Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison’s ex Karen Monahan, wrote a lengthy Facebook post detailing how he found a video in 2017 on his mother’s computer that allegedly captured Ellison “dragging my mama off the bed by her feet, screaming and calling her a ‘fucking bitch’ and telling her to get the fuck out of his house.” Austin said he also found more than 100 texts, including ones where Ellison allegedly threatened Karen and told her not to go public with accusations of domestic violence.

“Sitting all this time, watching what our mom went through and not being able to say or do anything was hard as hell. None of you know the hell our family has gone through,” Austin Monahan wrote. “We watched her so called [sic] political friends stand by say or do nothing. People had an idea what happened and never reached out to my mom.”

Karen Monahan soon backed up her son’s account, tweeting, “What my son said is true. Every statement he made was true.” She also released her own statement on the relationship, where she said she endured “narcissist abuse.”

In a statement released Sunday, however, Ellison categorically denied that any abuse ever took place.

"Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being," said 55-year-old Ellison, the front-runner in the race until these allegations surfaced. "This video does not exist, because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false."

The purported video has not been made public, and no police reports or court documents were ever filed about the alleged incident, according to Minnesota’s MPR News. That outlet did review more than 100 texts between Ellison and Monahan, and described them as sometimes friendly and contentious. There was no mention of physical violence.

Ellison, who’s repped his district since 2007 and is also the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, gave up the chance to run for re-election to Congress in order to run for Minnesota attorney general. He’s facing four opponents in the Tuesday Democratic primary. One of those opponents, state Rep. Debra Hilstrom, said on Twitter that the allegations against Ellison were “troubling.”

“Domestic Violence is never ok,” she wrote.

Cover image: Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, attends a news conference in December 2016 in the Capitol Visitor Center where he and other members criticized many of President-elect Trump's choices for cabinet positions. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)