Senator Josh Hawley Confronts Keith Ellison Over $9 Billion Fraud Allegations

Senator Hawley's Accusations Against AG Ellison

• 🎯 Senator Josh Hawley confronted Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison during a Senate hearing, accusing him of complicity in a $9 billion fraud scandal.
• 💡 Hawley alleged Ellison helped fraudsters involved in the "Feeding Our Future" program, which alone defrauded taxpayers of $250 million.
• 📌 The core accusation centered on a December 11, 2021 meeting where Ellison allegedly promised to help fraudsters get investigators off their backs.

Alleged Interference and Financial Ties

• 💬 During the meeting, Ellison reportedly told fraudsters, "Send me the names of all these folks who are investigating them" and "Let's go fight these people," referring to the investigators.
• 💰 Nine days after this meeting, on December 20th, Ellison allegedly accepted a $10,000 campaign contribution from the same individuals.
• 💸 Hawley highlighted Ellison's statement, "Money is freedom," made during discussions with fraudsters about campaign contributions and protecting their interests.

Fraudulent Funds and Prior Warnings

• ⚠️ Testimony revealed that the fraudulent money was linked to funding terrorist groups, transnational criminal organizations, drug trafficking, and child trafficking.
• 🚨 Hawley stated that whistleblowers had alerted Ellison's office to fraud allegations as early as 2018 and 2019, but no action was taken until the fraudsters offered money.
• 🗓️ The timeline presented was: December 11th (Ellison's meeting), December 20th (receipt of $10,000), and January 20th (FBI raid on headquarters).

Ellison's Defense and Hawley's Rebuttal

• 🎭 Ellison dismissed Hawley's claims as "theatrical" and "cherry-picking quotes," denying he helped the fraudsters and asserting his team assisted in their prosecution.
• 🚫 Hawley countered that Ellison "didn't lift a finger" for prosecution, stating federal prosecutors were responsible, and accused Ellison of lying.
• 🔥 The confrontation escalated with Hawley demanding Ellison's resignation, to which Ellison retorted with the same demand.