Klobuchar finally condemns Ellison’s child rape pardon

On July 1, news broke that a three person panel containing Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison had pardoned a man who had been convicted of repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl, apparently to help him avoid deportation and remain in Minnesota.

Republican candidates quickly moved to condemn the move. Ron Schutz, running to replace Ellison, and Kendall Qualls and Rep. Lisa Demuth – but not Mike Lindell – who are running to succeed Walz, all issued strong statements saying that, if they were on the panel, they would not have issued the pardon.

But Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the likely Democrat nominee, hedged. She issued a statement saying:

I would want to look at the entire record before making a decision on any pardon case, but as a former prosecutor I have not supported pardons of sex offenders.

Finally, on Friday, July 10, the day it was announced that the federal government had deported the man, Klobuchar released a statement saying that she “would not have voted for this pardon.”

Local journalists will be sure to ask how Klobuchar can recommend Ellison as Attorney General when, she believes, he made such a grievous error in pardoning this child rapist.