Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez is calling for a thorough investigation into the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh while questions about similar allegations against Keith Ellison remain unanswered.
Ellison, who serves as the DNC’s deputy chair and is seeking to become Minnesota’s next attorney general, faces two domestic violence allegations, one of which came in August. Perez initially claimed that the DNC’s attorneys would investigate the allegations, but later placed the burden of investigating the allegations on Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party.
The DFL ignored a request for an update on its investigation into Ellison, and has yet to offer any public updates on the matter—more than a month after the allegations surfaced.
Perez, who was previously recorded running away from a Republican tracker seeking answers on the Ellison investigation, is now demanding that “this serious allegation” against Kavanaugh be “investigated thoroughly.”
“This is a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land and this serious allegation must be investigated thoroughly. The American people deserve answers, not a vote that is rammed through by Republican,” Perez tweeted Sunday. “There is too much at stake.”
This is a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land & this serious allegation must be investigated thoroughly. The American people deserve answers, not a vote that is rammed through by Republicans. There is too much at stake. https://t.co/w71daxTw64
— Tom Perez (@TomPerez) September 17, 2018
Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, faced an anonymous accusation last week that he sexually assaulted a girl while they were both in high school. The accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, came forward Sunday in an article published by The Washington Post.
Ford claims that Kavanaugh and a friend pinned her down in a bedroom during a high-school party, and attempted to remove her clothing while groping her. Kavanaugh “categorically and unequivocally” denied the allegation before Ford went public with her name, saying he “did not do this back in high school or at any time.”
Like Kavanaugh, Ellison has denied the allegations made against him by his ex-girlfriend, who claims that the congressman forcibly dragged her from a bed while shouting expletives at her. In the latest polls, Ellison is currently tied with Republican opponent Doug Wardlow, with 40 percent of likely voters saying the abuse allegations against Ellison will be a factor in their votes.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
