The Propaganda FilesKavanaugh vs. Keith Ellison: two 2018 allegations, two levels of coverage
In fall 2018, decades-old, uncorroborated allegations against Brett Kavanaugh drove weeks of wall-to-wall coverage. At the same time, Karen Monahan's recent allegation that Rep. Keith Ellison, then DNC deputy chair, physically abused her drew far less national attention, and Ellison won the Minnesota attorney general's race.
Who it favored: Democrats
Lighter scrutiny for a Democratic official facing an abuse allegation.
The pieces
- NBC News: Keith Ellison abuse claim unsubstantiated, attorney concludeshttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/keith-ellison-abuse-claim-unsubstantiated-attorney-concludes-n915491
- The Intercept: Keith Ellison's accuser Karen Monahan retains new attorneyhttps://theintercept.com/2018/10/03/keith-ellison-allegations-karen-monahan-retains-new-attorney/
- Washington Times: Ellison insists there are no similarities between his case and Kavanaugh'shttps://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/4/keith-ellison-insists-there-are-no-similarities-be/
The other side
A lawyer hired by the Minnesota Democratic party said in October 2018 she could not substantiate Monahan's claim, and Monahan said she had no video of the incident she described; the Kavanaugh allegations were tied to a lifetime Supreme Court seat.
Why it's here
This is filed under Subversion, not graded as a lie. What subversion means.