Trump campaign slams report 'radical' Keith Ellison is on Harris' AG short list: 'natural fit'
Ellison has denied reports the Harris campaign is touting him as being on the AG short list
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Trump campaign slammed reports that Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign told Arab American leaders in Detroit that if she’s elected on Nov. 5, she would likely name left-wing Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison as the U.S.’ top cop.
"Keith Ellison would be a natural fit in a Kamala Harris administration. Both are radical liberals who support ending cash bail and releasing violent criminals into American neighborhoods. The good news for the American people is that it’s never going to happen, because President Trump is going to win on November 5," Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced that the Harris campaign allegedly told Arab American community leaders in Detroit that Ellison is on Harris' short list of potential attorneys general. Ellison has since denied the report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Arab American leaders in Detroit have been told by the Kamala campaign that @keithellison is on the short list to be Attorney General if she should win," former acting director of National Intelligence under the Trump administration, Richard Grenell, posted to X on Saturday.
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison arrives to speak on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The Harris campaign directed Fox Digital to a post on Ellison's X account denying the report when approached for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is a lie designed to trigger the Muslim-haters," Ellison posted in response to Grenell's social media post.
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Ellison currently serves as Minnesota’s attorney general, a left-wing Democrat who served as a U.S. congressman representing the Gopher State between 2007 and 2019. Ellison was elected as the first Muslim to Congress in U.S. history.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ellison has long come under fire from conservatives, including last year when he compared Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the slave character in Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film "Django Unchained," pinning blame for skyrocketing auto theft on car manufacturers, his handling of spiraling crime in the state during and after the 2020 George Floyd riots, and accusing the Republican Party during his DNC speech last month of thinking "they’re above the law."
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"No one is above the law, and no one is beneath it. In the Republican Party, everyone thinks they’re above the law. Hell, nearly a dozen of their own lawyers are facing serious charges. Even their lawyers need lawyers," Ellison said during the DNC, when Harris officially accepted her nomination after President Biden dropped out of the presidential race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is embraced by U.S. President Joe Biden during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 on September 2, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. President Joe Biden joined Vice President Harris for her second Labor Day event, for the first time on the campaign trail since he departed the Democratic ticket, and Harris was confirmed as the Democratic Party's nominee for the 2024 presidential election against the Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump. The event was attended by members of the IBEW, United Steelworkers, AFSCME, and other unions. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Social media critics and conservatives sounded off this weekend over the report that the Harris campaign is considering Ellison as a top contender for U.S. AG.
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The media has speculated that Harris’ attorney general shortlist likely includes current deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco, former U.S. associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, and Obama-era deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. Conservative political commentator and journalist Julie Kelly said last month the Harris campaign could also tap Jan. 6 attorney Matthew Graves as AG, if Harris were to win. Graves serves as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and is the chief prosecutor of Trump supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison arrives to speak on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The report that Ellison is on Harris' AG short list comes as Harris faces backlash from both Muslim and Jewish voters over her stance on the ongoing war in Israel, which has continued since Oct. 7.
First known as the "Abandon Biden" campaign, Muslim American voters in Michigan revamped their mission last month to rally support against the Harris ticket. The Abandon Biden campaign first surfaced earlier this year in the heavily Muslim populated city of Dearborn, as voters denouced Biden for his continued support of Israel.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This action is a direct response to Kamala Harris' support for the ongoing genocide in Gaza," the Abandon Harris campaign said in the release.
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the Enmarket Arena August 29, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. Harris has campaigned in southeast Georgia for the past two days. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Simultaneously, former President Donald Trump is courting the Jewish vote, predicting that he could win 50% of the demographic. A poll last month found Trump leading Harris among Jewish voters in typically liberal New York.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ellison’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment on Sunday.
Fox News Digital's Michael Lee contributed to this report.