Minnesota attorney general says Trump uses monitors as a weapon against states
Keith EllisonMinnesota attorney general, in a CNN interview
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison tells CNN's Sara Sidner that DOJ's monitoring under President Trump has a different tone from past federal monitoring, October 27, 2026.
Excerpt from 0:09 to 1:46 of the CNN video. DI added its logo in the corner.
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says DOJ's monitoring under President Trump has a different tone from the cooperative monitoring of the Biden administration, and that the president is using it as a weapon against states that do not support him. He says Minnesota will cooperate and expects the monitors to see a fair election.
Responding to
DOJ's expanded nationwide election-monitoring deployment is justified as routine enforcement of federal election law.
“Now it feels like the president is using this as another weapon that he often deploys against states that don't support him.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Should DOJ send election monitors to all 50 states?
Attorney General Todd Blanche says DOJ will send election monitors to every state for the 2026 midterms. Harmeet Dhillon describes trained legal professionals observing and documenting voting. The NAACP argues that the expanded deployment risks intimidation and lacks a clear public explanation of its authority. Its October 2 lawsuit seeks records about the program, including personnel, training, locations and state consent.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
CNN News Central interview in which anchor Sara Sidner asks Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison about DOJ's plan to send election monitors to all 50 states and whether he sees it differently from monitoring under the Biden administration.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Before the quotation
CNN anchor Sara Sidner notes that federal monitors were sent to Minnesota and other states for primary elections under the Biden administration and asks Ellison whether he views the Trump administration's monitors differently. He answers that he does and that the tone is very different.
After the quotation
Ellison says the tone is different but that Minnesota is ready to cooperate and expects monitors to see a fair and efficient election. Asked whether the state will again send its own observers, he says monitors should stay within their legal role and that the state is prepared to go to court if they do not.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to DOJ's plan to send election monitors to every state, Ellison condemns the deployment as a political weapon against states. He adds that Minnesota will cooperate and will go to court only if monitors exceed their legal role.
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“The DOJ confirmed that, in contrast to previous elections, personnel from law enforcement agencies will be part of the DOJ monitoring this Election Day.”Read statement
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United States Department of Justice
“The Voting Section is conducting its election monitoring efforts in a similar manner and for similar purposes as in past election cycles going back decades.”Read statement
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“To help make that happen, I welcome the Department of Justice sending election monitors into Indiana on November 3.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Minnesota attorney general says Trump uses monitors as a weapon against states". First published: 2026-10-30. Last updated: 2026-10-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/7223-minnesota-attorney-general-keith-ellison-says-doj-s