'You Should Be in Jail': Josh Hawley Lights Up MN AG Ellison in Wild Exchange About Fraud Scandal

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison testified at the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Thursday.

We reported earlier about his questioning from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) about encouraging the anti-ICE radicals in his state. Ellison was smirking, and Johnson chastised him, saying he should feel guilty about the deaths of the two anti-ICE people who had been killed in interactions with federal agents.

But that wasn't all.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) wasn't wasting any time when it was his turn to grill Ellison during the hearing. He went straight to the question of the fraud scandal in his state.

Ellison was recalcitrant from the outset, refusing to even answer if he was, in fact, the Attorney General of Minnesota.

Hawley went right at him and accused him of helping some of the people linked to the scandal. Hawley claimed that Ellison offered to help them and then later took a $10,000 campaign contribution.

NEW: Full, very heated exchange between Sen. @HawleyMO (R-MO) & Minnesota AG Keith Ellison about the Minnesota fraud scandal that ended with Hawley telling Ellison he should be in prison & Ellison responding by essentially saying good luck with that. pic.twitter.com/NO83rpJWqA
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 12, 2026

Ellison denied it, saying he didn't help them, that his team's assistance led to the prosecution of people involved in the scandal, and that Hawley was "cherry-picking" the conversation."

Ellison insisted he didn't take money from the people in question. Hawley hammered him, saying that that was what they talked about, "Money, money, money, money." He claimed Ellison responded, "Money is freedom," during the conversation.

Hawley said Ellison had people come to him to outline what was going on, but then didn't address the problem.

“As early as 2019, a whistleblower—” Hawley began before Ellison interrupted him. Hawley added, “Don’t talk over me. … It’s my hearing, pal.”
“Don’t call me ‘pal,'” the Minnesota AG seethed.
“Well, I should call you a prisoner because you ought to be in jail,” Hawley thundered. “Whistleblowers came to you in your office and referred to you fraud allegations from Feeding Our Future, and you blew them off. Listen to your own state newspaper.”

Ellison shot back, "Well, see what you can do about it," in regard to the comment that he "ought to be in jail." Ellison insisted that it was a lie.

Hawley said he should resign; Ellison responded that Hawley should resign.

Sounds like that was a challenge from Ellison to Hawley: "See what you can do about it." He might not want to make that challenge, that could backfire on him. Who, if anyone, is looking into this specific question? If they weren't before, they probably are now with how Hawley went at it.

But Ellison didn't help himself by being snippy from the outset. It just got worse for him throughout the clip as Hawley wrecked him.

So we'll have to see what, if anything, comes out of this, and if it's as specific as Hawley claims. We'll keep you updated.

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