Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told participants in the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, “I’m here to help.” He also said of state officials, “Let’s just go fight these people,” according to a 2021 audio recording now receiving renewed scrutiny after more than 50 guilty pleas in the scandal.
The audio, which Ellison has not denied, reveals fraudsters complaining that Minnesota agencies refused to reimburse them for money they claimed to have spent feeding children—claims found false in court. The fraudsters accused agencies of racism, and Ellison seemed to take these claims seriously, saying he would forward them to his staff.
Ellison’s press secretary, Brian Evans, flatly denied that the AG took any action to fulfill the implied promise to “fight” state agencies.
“During the meeting, Attorney General Ellison very clearly asked attendees to share examples of the discriminatory or unfair conduct they claim to have faced,” Evans told The Daily Signal. “They did not do so, and no action was taken in support of them.”
After the meeting, during which fraudsters suggested they would support Ellison’s reelection campaign, donors connected to the fraud ponied up cash.
“AG Ellison returned every contribution from the handful of people associated with Feeding Our Future as soon as he was made aware of those connections,” Evans told The Daily Signal.
In an April op-ed, Ellison wrote that these “professional scammers” tried “using outrageous claims of discrimination as a pretense to cover for their scheme to defraud the federal government.”
Bill Glahn, a policy fellow with the conservative-leaning Center of the American Experiment, first published the audio recording.
“Yeah, I have an ax to grind, sure, but the facts are the facts,” Glahn told The Daily Signal in a phone call Thursday. He noted that meeting attendees mentioned a Feeding Our Future lawsuit.
“Attorneys working for Keith Ellison were representing the Department of Education in this lawsuit filed by the people in the room, and he’s pledging his support to the plaintiffs while he’s representing the defendants,” Glahn said. Glahn called this “highly unethical.”
Rather than just saying, “I’ll look into this,” Ellison gave “pledges of support” and added “his own anecdotes about how state government is racist,” Glahn explained. He also noted that Ellison didn’t have time to act on his pledge “because the FBI raided [Feeding Our Future] offices five weeks later.”
The Timeline
Federal authorities charged 78 defendants connected to the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme, 56 of whom have pleaded guilty. Authorities say Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock launched the fraud scheme in April 2020.
Feeding Our Future sued the state’s Department of Education for racism in November 2020, but the department settled one month later. The department suspended payments to the nonprofit on March 30, 2021, and the nonprofit again sued, leading to more payments three months later.
Ellison met with the fraudsters on Dec. 11, 2021, and some Feeding Our Future associates gave thousands to his campaign shortly afterward.
Federal agents executed search warrants on Jan. 20, 2022, leading to the first indictments in September 2022.
Glahn said he acquired the audio from Kenneth Udoibok, the defense attorney for Bock, who was convicted in March. Udoibok did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.
What Did Ellison Say?
The recording reveals Ellison echoing racism complaints.
“Every time East African business owners enter a market segment, these various departments and counties come in arbitrary fashions, create unnecessary roadblocks and hurdles, and at times conduct business in a very racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic manner,” complains Abshir Omar, a consultant for Feeding Our Future who has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Ikram Mohammed, another Feeding Our Future consultant who faces fraud and bribery charges, describes the denial of funds as “a form of violence against our community under the color of law.”
Ellison says of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, “he knows that there’s a lot of unfair discriminatory stuff going on with East African businesses, I know it.” He notes he does not trust Jodi Harpstead, then commissioner of the Department of Human Services, to stop discrimination.
Harpstead stepped down in February. Ellison’s press secretary told The Daily Signal that the AG had no role in her departure.
“We are in the middle of a battle with the agencies now,” Ellison says in the recording.
Ellison’s press secretary, speaking to The Daily Signal, noted that the AG asks for evidence of alleged discrimination. In one case, Ellison notes, “That’s super unfortunate, but it may not be malicious.”
The press secretary also pointed out that when the fraudsters warn Ellison he might suffer politically for supporting them, the AG replies, “I’m not here because I think it’s going to help my reelection.”
“The attorney general very clearly rejects their implicit offer of campaign support,” Evans said. “Instead, he affirms that he took the meeting to do the work of the office and stand up to injustice.”
Yet, immediately after that statement, Ellison says, “So, let’s just go fight these people. The question is figuring out exactly how to put a stop to it, right? The how is the real question for me, here.”
“I’m telling you, sue, sue, sue,” he later advises.
The AG repeatedly says he is forwarding attendees’ concerns to his team.
“I already got my team digging into this,” he says. “When should we come together again to discuss this?”
Returning Donations
Many of those connected to Feeding Our Future contributed $2,500 to Ellison’s campaign on Dec. 20, 2021. Gandi Mohamed, who faces fraud and money-laundering charges, did so, as did other business partners who have not been indicted—Mahad Hassan, Jamal Hashi, and Khadija Ali.
Liban Alishire, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, contributed $2,500 on May 27, 2022. Ellison returned Alishire’s contribution on Sept. 20, 2022.
Ellison’s press secretary suggested the contributions from the other four individuals had been returned. If so, that should show up on the next round of campaign finance disclosures, Glahn said.
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