Ellison On Tape

In the six years Tim Walz has governed Minnesota, and especially in the two years the DFL, the state’s bespoke version of the Democratic Party, has had unfettered control of the state’s government, Minnesota has become something of a hotbed of corruption. 

The marquee case, so far, is “Feeding Our Future”, named after a non-profit that allegedly took hundreds of millions of dollars of state and federal Covid relief aid, and “spent” it on feeding centers that served no meals and fed no hungry people.  

Federal money is involved, so the Feds have been doing the heavy lifting on prosecutions this past couple of years.  Cases are going to trial, and sentences are being handed down.  

But in a bombshell Wednesday evening, Bill Glahn of the Center of the American Experiment (a conservative think tank run by Ed and my former radio colleague John Hinderaker) released an audio exhibit from the federal cases, appearing to show Minnesota’s controversial Attorney General, Keith Ellison, discussing a wide range of subjects of interest in the case with several people involve in the case at various levels:

American Experiment has exclusively obtained the complete 54-minute, 44-second audio file of a private December 2021 meeting between state Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison and key figures in the Feeding Our Future scandal. 

As I wrote last week, the audio file was named as Exhibit 710 on the evidence list presented to the court by Aimee Bock’s defense attorney, Kenneth Udoibok. The recording was not offered into evidence during the six-week trial that concluded last month, with Bock’s conviction on all seven counts she faced.

As a document, it exceeds expectations. Voices can be heard clearly and are clearly identifiable. The highlights, which are many, tend to be front-loaded. I’ve included below some clips from the meeting to highlight a few points.

Glahn presents the receipts, as the kids say. In this clip, Ellison discusses how his flex can get other state agencies to back off:

The “Jodi Harpstead” referred to is state’s former Human Services commissioner – no stranger to other problems, and who, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, resigned last January as controversy swelled around the department.  

Here, Ellison pledges to fight on behalf the non-profits:

Perhaps most revealing, according to Glahn, the tape changes the timeline presented by Ellison in the past.  

At 30:38, Ellison interrupts, saying, “This is the first I’m really hearing about it.” At 37:08, Ellison says, “This has not come to my attention until now.” These private statements in December 2021 completely contradict his September 2022 public statement:

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his office have been deeply involved for two years in holding Feeding Our Future accountable. 

Two years. Do the math. 

The entire tape is included in the Center’s story. 

Pop your popcorn.