Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is facing renewed scrutiny after a 2021 audio recording surfaced that raises serious questions about judgment, access, and accountability at the highest levels of state government. The recording, obtained by Fox News, captures Ellison in a closed-door meeting with members of Minnesota’s Somali community who were later convicted in one of the largest fraud scandals in state history.
On the tape, the conversation turns quickly from requests for more public funding to the mechanics of political donations. One participant bluntly states that protecting their interests requires inserting themselves into politics by directing votes and money toward favored candidates. Ellison responds, “That’s right.” It is a short exchange, but it is damning in context, especially given what came later.
Several of the individuals in that meeting were eventually tied to massive fraud involving taxpayer-funded programs, most notably the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme. Prosecutors have since suggested the total fraud connected to these networks could reach into the billions. While Ellison insists he had no knowledge of criminal activity at the time, the optics are terrible for an attorney general whose job is oversight and enforcement.
Ellison has denied wrongdoing and attempted to brush off the controversy. In an April op-ed in the Minnesota Star Tribune, he said he took the meeting in good faith, did nothing for the individuals involved, and took nothing from them. That defense rings hollow when paired with the audio and campaign finance records showing he accepted donations from some of the same people. Those donations were reportedly returned only after convictions, not before.
The recording was uncovered by Minnesota attorney Kenneth Udoibok, who represents Aimee Bock, a central figure in the Feeding Our Future case. Udoibok has been blunt, saying state leadership failed at every level. He argued that someone in authority, whether the attorney general or the governor, should take responsibility for a catastrophic breakdown in oversight. He even suggested firings should have happened long ago, pointing to regulators and agency heads who allowed the fraud to flourish.
That criticism does not stop with Ellison. Minnesota’s broader political leadership has been under fire for months over how such an enormous theft of public funds could occur under their watch. The pattern looks less like a single failure and more like systemic negligence paired with political favoritism.
Now the issue is heading to Washington. Tom Emmer plans to raise the 2021 recording during a House Oversight Committee hearing this Wednesday. That means Ellison’s explanations will not just be judged by friendly local media, but by federal lawmakers who are already skeptical of Minnesota’s handling of the scandal.
This is not about a casual meeting or an unfortunate coincidence. It is about an attorney general appearing on tape affirming a pay-to-play mindset with people who later stole staggering sums from taxpayers. Minnesotans deserve more than excuses after the fact. They deserve answers, accountability, and leadership that does not conveniently discover problems only after the damage is done.
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