An unidentified male says in the recording: “To protect and keep what we have, and the only way we can protect what we have is by inserting ourselves into the political arena, putting our votes where it needs to be, but most importantly, putting our dollars in the right place, and supporting candidates that will fight to protect our interests.”
“That’s right,” Ellison responded.
Ellison added minutes later: “Walz agrees with me that this piddly, stupid stuff running small people out of business is terrible.”
Toward the end of the meeting, Ellison says, “Of course, I’m here to help,” and “Let’s go fight these people.”
The tape raises concerns about a potential quid pro quo, as Ellison offered to oppose state agencies while receiving contributions from related individuals.
In an April op-ed to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Ellison defended his actions: “I took a meeting in good faith with people I didn’t know, and some turned out to have done bad things. I did nothing for them and took nothing from them.” Continue reading…
