Senator Hawley Calls For Minnesota AG Keith Ellison To Be INDICTED

[00:00:00] Mr. Ellison, let me start with you. [00:00:01] You're the attorney general of the state [00:00:02] of Minnesota. Do I have that correct? [00:00:05] >> That's a yes. [00:00:06] >> Sir, you're aware of my job. You know [00:00:08] the answer to that. [00:00:09] >> Is you're not going to answer my [00:00:10] questions. Are we going to start this [00:00:11] way? Are you the attorney general of the [00:00:12] state of Minnesota? Yes or no? [00:00:15] >> You know the answer. [00:00:17] >> Mr. Alison, you're in my courtroom now. [00:00:19] You're under oath. So, I suggest that [00:00:20] you answer my questions. You the chief [00:00:22] law enforcement officer of the state of [00:00:23] Minnesota? Yes or no? [00:00:26] Let's try another question. Are you [00:00:27] familiar with the $9 billion in historic [00:00:30] fraud out of your state, including the [00:00:32] $250 million in the Feeding Our Future [00:00:35] program alone? You familiar with that? [00:00:37] Don't turn to the pages in your book to [00:00:38] get your potted answers. Are you [00:00:39] familiar with it? Yes or no? [00:00:41] >> Yes, I am familiar with it. [00:00:42] >> Very familiar, aren't you? Because the [00:00:44] people who ran the Feeding Our Futures [00:00:46] program came to you in your official [00:00:48] office in the state capital December [00:00:50] 11th, 2021, and asked for your help in [00:00:53] getting investigators off their backs. [00:00:56] They complained to you for upwards of an [00:00:58] hour about state investigators going [00:01:01] after them and they begged you to help [00:01:03] them and you agreed to it amazingly. And [00:01:06] we know you did because it's all caught [00:01:09] on tape. Every single sentence is caught [00:01:11] on tape. Here's what you said. Let's [00:01:12] take a look. Obviously, you said it's [00:01:14] not a question. You said to them, [00:01:16] >> "Send me the names of all these folks [00:01:19] >> who are investigating them." you said to [00:01:21] them, "Send me their names and I'll take [00:01:23] that list and I'll call the person over [00:01:25] at education who is investigating them [00:01:27] and say, what's going on? Why am I [00:01:29] getting these complaints?" Then he went [00:01:31] on to say, "I already have my team [00:01:34] working on this. What day should we get [00:01:36] together to discuss it again?" You made [00:01:40] pledge after pledge to them. You said, [00:01:42] "We've got to make sure this guy who's [00:01:44] investigating them stops it." You said, [00:01:46] "You have my attention. I'm concerned [00:01:48] about this." You said, "Let's go fight [00:01:51] these people." Meaning the people who [00:01:53] were investigating the fraud. [00:01:56] Why'd you do it? Why'd you help them? [00:01:58] >> Are you going to let me answer? [00:02:00] >> Please, we're all ears. [00:02:01] >> So, first of all, you're cherry-picking [00:02:03] quotes out of there. The man [00:02:04] >> Why did you help him? [00:02:05] >> I thought you were going to let me [00:02:06] answer. [00:02:06] >> Why did you help? [00:02:06] >> Are you going to let me answer? [00:02:08] >> Why did you help him? [00:02:08] >> You let me answer and I'll answer. You [00:02:10] >> tell the truth and I'll let you answer. [00:02:11] >> I will tell the truth. Let's do that. [00:02:12] >> That'd be a nice change. Why did you [00:02:13] help? [00:02:14] >> So, no. That now see Mr. Chairman, I [00:02:16] didn't come here to be insulted. I came [00:02:17] here voluntary. You came here for the [00:02:19] truth. Let's have it. Why did you help [00:02:20] them? The quads are here. They're in [00:02:22] black and white. And every member of [00:02:24] this audience can listen to the [00:02:26] recording. It's 54 minutes long. It's [00:02:29] all in public. You can Google it right [00:02:31] now and listen to it. [00:02:32] >> And listen to them. [00:02:32] >> Why' you help them? [00:02:34] >> First of all, I didn't help them. You [00:02:36] did? [00:02:36] >> No, I did not. [00:02:37] >> I certainly didn't. [00:02:38] >> You're saying you didn't do anything for [00:02:40] him. [00:02:40] >> You You didn't You didn't. [00:02:42] >> Well, wait a minute. [00:02:42] >> I already have my team working on this [00:02:44] again. That's not you. [00:02:44] >> I have I have my team. My team assisted [00:02:49] with the information that led to the [00:02:51] prosecution and conviction of these [00:02:53] people. [00:02:53] >> No, you didn't. You didn't lift the [00:02:54] finger to prosecute them. No, you did [00:02:56] not. You finger prosecute federal [00:02:58] prosecution. [00:02:58] >> You had Oh, BS. You had whistleblowers [00:03:01] come to you as early as 2019. You're the [00:03:02] one talking BS. [00:03:03] >> Hey, listen. It's my time. [00:03:05] >> Doesn't know what you're talking about. [00:03:06] >> No, sir. You now have encountered the [00:03:08] truth and you don't like it. Why' you [00:03:09] take their money? [00:03:10] >> Why did you take their money? [00:03:12] >> I didn't. [00:03:12] >> You took 10,000. [00:03:15] >> That's a false statement. $10,000 [00:03:19] 9 days after the meeting. [00:03:21] >> You took $10,000. Here's what happened. [00:03:24] They went to your office. They solicited [00:03:26] money from you. They solicited help from [00:03:28] you. That's also wrong. [00:03:29] >> They came to your office. It was your [00:03:30] official office. You met with them for [00:03:32] 54 minutes. They asked you for help. You [00:03:35] pledged it to them and they talked [00:03:36] repeatedly about money. In fact, it's [00:03:38] all they talked about. Money, money, [00:03:40] money, money. They said, "We will put [00:03:43] our dollars in the right place. We will [00:03:45] support candidates that will fight to [00:03:47] protect our interests. You replied, [00:03:48] "That's right." They said, "If you are [00:03:50] secure in your donor base and securing [00:03:52] your power base, you can act the way you [00:03:54] want." You replied, "Money is freedom." [00:03:57] They said, "The amount of money [00:03:58] circulating," I'm reading the [00:03:59] transcript. The amount of money [00:04:01] circulating in our community today is [00:04:03] powerful and we haven't realizing it in [00:04:05] a meaningful way. And you said, "Give me [00:04:07] the specifics." And nine days later, you [00:04:10] took $10,000 [00:04:13] from people who were then indicted. It's [00:04:15] in your reports. Why'd you do it, [00:04:17] >> sir? This it [00:04:18] >> was it worth it? [00:04:19] >> You know what? This is a theatrical [00:04:21] 10,000. This is the truth. This is what [00:04:23] accountability looks like, of which [00:04:24] you've had none. You helped fraudsters [00:04:27] defraud your state and this government [00:04:29] of $9 billion and you got a fat campaign [00:04:32] contribution out of it. You ought to be [00:04:34] indicted. [00:04:35] >> True. Well, that's the truth. I I think [00:04:37] we've made the point. Let's keep the [00:04:39] temp just [00:04:39] >> for the record. [00:04:40] >> Oh, I'll ask how I was lying. And that's [00:04:42] and that's the truth. [00:04:43] >> Oh, no. This is all on the record. Did [00:04:45] you bother to Did you bother to [00:04:47] investigate where the money that you [00:04:49] facilitated their fraud for? Where it [00:04:51] went? [00:04:52] >> Do you know where it went? What it was [00:04:53] used for? The fraudulent money? I do [00:04:55] because we just heard testimony about it [00:04:57] yesterday. because we were the funds [00:04:59] players in the [00:05:00] >> hundreds of millions of dollars to [00:05:01] terrorist groups to transnational [00:05:03] criminal organizations to the drug trade [00:05:05] to drug trafficking to child trafficking [00:05:08] and you took $10,000 [00:05:11] >> and helped them do it. [00:05:13] >> You know the other thing is [00:05:14] whistleblowers came to you as early as [00:05:16] 2019. Let's look [00:05:18] >> as early as 2019. Whistlebl don't talk [00:05:20] over me. As early as 2019 it's my [00:05:24] hearing pal. As early as 2019, [00:05:27] >> don't call me. [00:05:28] >> Whistleblowers came to Well, I should [00:05:30] call you a prisoner because you ought to [00:05:30] be in jail. [00:05:31] >> Well, see what you can call. [00:05:32] >> In 2019, [00:05:34] whistleblowers came to you in your [00:05:36] office and referred to you fraud [00:05:38] allegations from Feeding Our Futures, [00:05:40] and you blew them off. Listen, your own [00:05:41] state newspaper, the Minnesota Star [00:05:43] Tribune, the Partners in Nutrition, [00:05:45] brought its concerns to the Attorney [00:05:47] General's office in 2018 and in 2019, [00:05:50] and you did nothing. You did nothing for [00:05:52] years. The only action you took is Once [00:05:55] all these fraudsters came to your office [00:05:57] and asked you to get involved and [00:05:58] offered you money, then you got [00:06:00] involved. Then you took the money and [00:06:02] then you got involved. [00:06:03] >> They did not come to my office. You're [00:06:05] completely wrong about that. [00:06:06] >> You met with anybody minutes and you [00:06:09] took $10,000 and they also gave your [00:06:11] family money. They gave your family [00:06:13] thousands of dollars in campaign [00:06:15] contributions in addition to what they [00:06:16] gave false statement. [00:06:17] >> Let's put the you know this is [00:06:19] completely untrue. [00:06:20] >> The New York Post. [00:06:21] >> Yeah, we know the New York Post. [00:06:23] Minnesota Keith Ellison AG accepted [00:06:25] campaign donations from individuals [00:06:26] linked to the $250 million co fraud [00:06:29] scheme after they were in your office. [00:06:30] The donations came on December 20th. You [00:06:33] met with them on December the 11th and [00:06:34] on January 20th the FBI knocked over [00:06:37] their headquarters. [00:06:38] >> No, [00:06:39] >> that's the sequence of events here. [00:06:41] >> No, it's not. [00:06:42] >> You've been right at the center of this [00:06:43] broadcast [00:06:45] and you've enabled it and sir, you [00:06:48] should resign. [00:06:49] >> And sir, you should resign. I was [00:06:51] thinking the same thing about you. to [00:06:52] reside.