Jeremiah Ellison, son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a Minneapolis city council member, declared Sunday his support for antifa, the secretive left-wing anarchist group accused of driving the violent protests sweeping the nation.
“I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA,” tweeted Jeremiah Ellison.
His tweet came shortly after President Trump said the U.S. would designate antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
“Unless someone can prove to me ANTIFA is behind the burning of black and immigrant owned buisnesses in my ward, I’ll keep focusing on stopping the white power terrorist [THAT] ARE ACTUALLY ATTACKING US!” tweeted Jeremiah Ellison.
A few hours later, Keith Ellison said that he would be taking over the prosecution of officers involved in the arrest and death of George Floyd, who died in police custody on Memorial Day.
“I just want the public to know we are pursuing justice and truth and accountability,” said Keith Ellison, the former Democratic congressman, at a press conference.
Mr. Floyd’s death, which came after ex-Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, touched off peaceful protests that quickly morphed into violent rioting and spread beyond Minneapolis nationwide.
Mr. Trump described antifa on Saturday as “a lot of radical left bad people,” while the American Civil Liberties Union said that he had “no legal authority” to implement such a domestic-group designation.
Attorney General William Barr said the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating the origin’s of last week’s violent protests, which have seen perpetrators terrorize cities with looting, assaults and fire-setting.
I hear this guy is a pretty good lawyer…#ThePeoplesLawyer#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd https://t.co/CgpSgzGiph
— Jeremiah Ellison (@jeremiah4north) June 1, 2020
I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA
— Jeremiah Ellison (@jeremiah4north) May 31, 2020
Unless someone can prove to me ANTIFA is behind the burning of black and immigrant owned businesses in my ward, I’ll keep focusing on stopping the white power terrorist THE ARE ACTUALLY ATTACKING US! https://t.co/m6jxtDYmTi
Minnesota Democrats have suggested that white supremacists, drug cartels and organized crime may be fueling the violence.
“The truth is, nobody really knows,” Keith Ellison told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “What the exact political motivation is is unclear at this point.”
Keith Ellison said Sunday he would work with Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who filed third-degree murder and manslaughter charges Friday against Mr. Chauvin, “to make sure justice is achieved.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.