Keith Ellison

American attorney and politician who has served as Attorney General of Minnesota since 2019. He previously represented Minnesota's 5th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019.

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What we have documented

We have documented 7 statements by Keith Ellison, in 7 cases. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

Statements by Keith Ellison

Keith Ellison

Role at the time: Minnesota attorney general, speaking in an official release

October 29, 2026Condemned

Statement summary

Ellison condemns secret collection and sale of driving data. He also warns other companies that collecting data without consent may violate Minnesota law.

“This is egregious behavior and I’m proud to have helped this bipartisan coalition put a stop to it”

Read the original textKeith Ellison comments on the GM driver-data settlementKeith Ellison quotation block

Why we used this label

The reference point is GM's disputed collection and sharing of Smart Driver data without informed consent. Ellison condemns those practices.

Read statement Full case: GM says its terms allowed driver-data sharing; consumers dispute consent.

Keith Ellison

Role at the time: Minnesota attorney general, in a CNN interview

October 27, 2026Condemned

Response to this claim

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.”

Open the original interview"The tone is different": Minnesota AG reacts to DOJ sending election monitors to all 50 states · CNNVideo, 0:09 to 1:46

Why we used 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.

Read statement Full case: Should DOJ send election monitors to all 50 states?

Keith Ellison

Role at the time: Minnesota attorney general

October 26, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

Ellison says the evidence justified appealing the trial court's acquittal and welcomes reinstatement of the verdicts.

“we presented more than ample evidence at trial of Yusuf’s guilt”

Read the official statementKeith Ellison responds to reinstatement of Yusuf verdictsFirst quotation by Ellison

Why we used this label

Relative to reinstating the jury's verdicts, Ellison expressly defends the evidence and his office's decision to appeal.

Read statement Full case: Minnesota appeals court orders Yusuf's Medicaid fraud verdicts reinstated

Keith Ellison

Role at the time: Minnesota attorney general

August 3, 2026Condemned

Statement summary

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the new tariffs were illegal and contributed to higher household costs. He said Minnesota's lawsuit sought to defend the state from federal overreach and protect families' ability to afford their lives.

“I'm taking Trump to court yet again over his illegal tariffs.”

Read the official statementAttorney General Ellison sues Trump again to stop illegal tariffsAugust 3 release, Ellison quotation, second sentence

Why we used this label

Ellison calls the Section 301 tariffs illegal and harmful and says he is going to court to stop them.

Read statement Full case: Are Trump's Section 301 "forced labor" tariffs a lawful remedy, or a pretext to revive struck-down global tariffs?

Keith Ellison

Role at the time: Minnesota attorney general

July 8, 2026Condemned

Statement summary

Ellison welcomes the settlement as relief from restrictions he says raised farmers' costs and hurt independent repair businesses.

“John Deere’s illegal practice of preventing farmers from repairing their own equipment”

Read the official statementKeith Ellison welcomes Deere right-to-repair settlementAttributed statement

Why we used this label

Ellison calls Deere's repair restrictions illegal and harmful to farmers and independent businesses. His welcome for the settlement accompanies direct criticism of the restrictions.

Read statement Full case: John Deere agrees to expand repair access after disputing the FTC's monopoly allegations

Keith Ellison

Role at the time: Minnesota attorney general

July 1, 2026Condemned

Statement summary

Ellison accuses the egg producers of price collusion and says corporations should compete for customers. He calls their conduct unlawful and unethical.

“Corporations should be competing against one another for your business, not colluding with one another to keep prices high,”

Read the official statementEllison criticizes alleged egg-price collusionStatement attributed to Ellison, beginning "Corporations should be competing"

Why we used this label

Ellison criticizes the egg producers' alleged collusion, the conduct examined here. The statement expressly rejects price coordination, rather than defending the settlement as though that were the alleged conduct.

Read statement Full case: Did Cal-Maine and other egg producers manipulate egg-price benchmarks?

Keith Ellison

Role at the time: Attorney General of Minnesota, in an official press release

May 18, 2026Condemned

Response to this claim

Castro was not attacked with any shovel, broom or other weapon. He was standing alone in the front yard when he drew his weapon and fired a single shot through the closed front door of the home, after Sosa-Celis and Aljorna had already gone inside.

“Nobody is above the law, including ICE agents. The State of Minnesota must hold people accountable for violating the law and for harming Minnesotans. I support the filing of these charges, and I am working closely with Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty to ensure we reach a just outcome here.”

Read the official statementAttorney General Ellison praises charges against ICE agent in January 2026 Minneapolis shootingFull release, including the quotation from Attorney General Keith Ellison and the excerpt from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office's press release

Why we used this label

Ellison endorses the charges against Castro and frames his conduct as harm requiring accountability, which condemns the shooting.

Read statement Full case: Was ICE Officer Christian Castro Justified in Shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis?

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Should DOJ send election monitors to all 50 states?

Relationship to this case: Speaker

DOJ plans election monitoring in every state and calls it routine enforcement work. The NAACP questions the program's authority and risks to voters, and seeks records through a FOIA lawsuit.

Election Security Voting RightsUpdated October 10, 2026

Case

Did Cal-Maine and other egg producers manipulate egg-price benchmarks?

Relationship to this case: Speaker

DOJ alleges coordinated bidding inflated egg-price benchmarks. Cal-Maine denies wrongdoing and price effects. The proposed consent judgment contains no admission, while separate debate concerns the conduct's economic importance and the remedy.

Consumer ProtectionPublished October 19, 2026

Case

Are Trump's Section 301 "forced labor" tariffs a lawful remedy, or a pretext to revive struck-down global tariffs?

Relationship to this case: Speaker

Businesses and 25 states say Trump's 10% and 12.5% Section 301 tariffs on 60 economies are a pretext to revive struck-down global tariffs. The administration says they lawfully answer forced-labor import failures. As of September 30, 2026, no court has ruled.

Trade Policy U.S. PoliticsUpdated October 30, 2026

Case

Was ICE Officer Christian Castro Justified in Shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis?

Relationship to this case: Speaker

ICE officer Christian Castro shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis in January 2026. DHS initially called it self-defense against an armed ambush; ICE later said officers' sworn testimony appeared untruthful. Castro faces state assault and federal false-statement charges.

Law Enforcement Immigration PolicyUpdated October 6, 2026

Case

Minnesota appeals court orders Yusuf's Medicaid fraud verdicts reinstated

Relationship to this case: Participant

The appeals court orders reinstatement of Yusuf's six theft-by-swindle verdicts. According to its opinion, the trial court had found a reasonable inference that his brother acted without his knowledge; the panel concludes that the evidence as a whole excludes that explanation.

Criminal Justice Policy Health CarePublished October 28, 2026

Case

John Deere agrees to expand repair access after disputing the FTC's monopoly allegations

Relationship to this case: Speaker

The FTC and states alleged that Deere reserved fully functional repair software for authorized dealers, raising costs and delaying repairs. Deere disputed that account. In July 2026, the parties announced an agreement expanding access to repair tools.

Right to Repair Consumer ProtectionPublished October 17, 2026

Case

GM says its terms allowed driver-data sharing; consumers dispute consent.

Relationship to this case: Speaker

GM invokes its user terms to defend driver-data sharing. Consumers dispute the scope of consent, while a separate $220 million state settlement sets new requirements without resolving a nationwide private class action.

Privacy Consumer ProtectionPublished November 3, 2026

Keith Ellison

What we have documented

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Statements by Keith Ellison

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