The allegations resurfaced Saturday after Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison's ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan, published a Facebook post in which he claimed he'd seen a video on his mother's computer that proved she'd been abused by the politician.
"My brother and I watched our mom come out of pure hell after getting out of her relationship with Keith Ellison," Austin wrote. "For several months we knew something wasn't right and couldn't figure it out. When we asked our mom if everything was ok, she told us she was dealing with some stress and would be OK."
Austin went on to explain that he had made the revelation after working on his mother's computer. "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**king bitch' and telling her to ‘get the f**k out of his house,'" he wrote.
Ellison's messages ranged from him admitting his mistakes to threatening Karen if she ever went public about the alleged abuses, Austin writes in the post. He hasn't shared any of the messages he referred to, or the video he says he found.
Shutting down the allegations, Ellison released a statement on Sunday and claimed that a video of him dragging Karen does not exist because he "never behaved in this way." The Detroit native also said any characterizations of him as abuser were "false."
— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018
In response to Ellison's statement, Karen confirmed the allegations put forth by her son. "After a several years of being in a relationship with Keith Ellison, It became clear, I had survived narcissist abuse… 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," she wrote in a late Sunday statement.
On Twitter, Karen shared several screenshots of conversations between her and Ellison that don't appear to be abusive.
— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018
— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018
— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018
— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018
With reporters having contacted her regarding the allegations and the alleged recording, Karen stated that she misplaced the footage during a move, adding that even if she had it in her possession she wouldn't release it to the public. "It's not on me to show embarrassing and traumatizing video that impacts both families," she told CNN on Monday.
When asked whether her intention in speaking about the allegations was to hurt Ellison's bid in the election, Karen told the publication that it "has nothing to do with primary election."
"If I waited a week later, it would become an issue between a Democrat and Republican," she added.
Ellison, who has not released a follow-up statement, is currently running for attorney general of Minnesota. Following the allegations pushed by the Monahans, Ellison's Democratic opponents have zeroed in on the claims and called for an investigation.
— Debra Hilstrom (@debrahilstrom) August 12, 2018
— Tom Foley (@foleyforag) August 13, 2018
Allegations surrounding Ellison have been circulating for some time, but have never been verified due to a lack of evidence. Minnesota Public Radio reported Sunday that it had reviewed more than 100 text and Twitter messages exchanged between Ellison and Monahan after their breakup, but found no evidence of the physical abuse she alleges.
