Minnesota
March 16, 2018 — Scott Johnson
Readers may recall that (state) Rep. Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) as Minnesota’s first Somali legislator whom I wrote about in “The curious case of Ilhan Omar” and “Ilhan Omar’s many firsts.” Star Tribune education reporter Faiza Mahamud (@faiza_mahamud) seems to have done something that irritated Omar. Rep. Omar has exacted punishment by blocking her on Twitter (below). State Rep. Ilhan Omar blocked me on Twitter a few hours after taking a
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March 13, 2018 — Scott Johnson
The United States Attorney for Minnesota has just issued a press release disclosing the filing of charges against three Illinois men for the bombing the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center (“the mosque”) in Bloomington, Minnesota. The press release identifies the three as Michael McWhorter, Joe Morris, and Michael Hari. They are alleged to have used an explosive device with the intent of damaging the center. Each of the three is identified
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March 12, 2018 — Scott Johnson
In his Wall Street Journal column last month, Jeryl Bier reported that Ellison and Farrakhan had a reunion of sorts in September 2013 with a follow-up meeting in Farrakhan’s hotel room when Farrakhan visited Washington in 2015. Ellison’s relationship with Farrakhan goes way back, but it turns out that Farrakhan has several fans in the Democrats’ Congressional Black Caucus as well. This long suppressed 2005 photograph of Farrakhan & Friends
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March 11, 2018 — Scott Johnson
On Friday Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler took a look Minnesota Fifth District/DNC Vice Chairman Rep. Keith Ellison’s statements about his relationship with hate cult leader Louis Farrakhan. Ellison’s relationship with Farrakhan goes way back, but it turns out that Farrakhan has several fans in the Democrats’ Congressional Black Caucus as well. This long suppressed 2005 photograph of Farrakhan & Friends was only recently disclosed. “We few, we happy
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March 8, 2018 — Scott Johnson
University of Minnesota Law School Professor Richard Painter has announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a possible Senate candidacy. He is interested in the seat held by the appointed Democratic incumbent, Tina Smith. According to the Star Tribune, Painter is “unsure whether he would run as a Republican, Democrat or independent.” He’s funny-peculiar that way. John would prefer that Painter not run for the Republican nomination, and that
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March 8, 2018 — Scott Johnson
In his Wall Street Journal column earlier this year, Jeryl Bier reported that Minnesota Fifth District Rep./Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman Keith Ellison and Nation of Islam Supreme Leader Louis Farrakhan had a reunion of sorts in September 2013 with a follow-up meeting in Farrakhan’s hotel room when Farrakhan visited Washington in 2015. I noted Ellison’s responses in “Ellison speaks…a little” and “Ellison speaks…a little more.” Ellison subsequently appeared as
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March 7, 2018 — John Hinderaker
The GOP has an opportunity to pick up a Senate seat in Minnesota. After the Democrats forced Al Franken out of office, Governor Mark Dayton appointed his Lieutenant Governor, Tina Smith, to serve until the general election in November. Smith is a little-known and rather faceless office-holder. As an urban leftist with questionable ties, e.g. as a former senior executive of Planned Parenthood, she is vulnerable. The question for Republicans
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March 6, 2018 — Scott Johnson
When I began practicing law, I occasionally had to sit in court and wait my turn to argue my case while the judge sentenced defendants who pleaded guilty to various offenses. I drew the conclusion from what I saw that it was quite difficult to get yourself sent to prison. You almost had to work at it. It was a revelation to me. That was a while back, but things
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March 1, 2018 — Scott Johnson
As Congress’s first Muslim and the Democratic National Committee’s Vice Chair, Minnesota Fifth District Rep.Keith Ellison has become a national figure. Minneapolis sits squarely within Ellison’s district. If you get your news from Minneapolis’s Star Tribune, however, you wouldn’t know much that Ellison doesn’t want you to know about him. At some point I should think professional pride would kick in to motivate the paper’s political reporters, but I’m still
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February 23, 2018 — Scott Johnson
In his Wall Street Journal column two weeks ago today, Jeryl Bier reported that Minnesota Fifth District Rep./Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman Keith Ellison and Nation of Islam Supreme Leader Louis Farrakhan had a reunion of sorts in September 2013 with a follow-up meeting in Farrakhan’s hotel room when Farrakhan visited Washington in 2015. I noted Ellison’s responses in “Ellison speaks…a little” and “Ellison speaks…a little more.” Yesterday Ellison appeared
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February 20, 2018 — Scott Johnson
We noted the case of “Minnesota man” Mahad Abdiaziz Abdiraham (or Abdirahman) this past November 14 and November 15. Abdiraham was charged with first-degree assault in connection with the stabbings of two customers at the Macy’s Mall of America’s Macy store on Sunday evening, November 12. The second of the two linked posts quotes the charges. The stabbing victims were brothers Alexander Sanchez (19 years old) and John Sanchez (25).
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February 17, 2018 — Scott Johnson
In his Wall Street Journal column a week ago yesterday, Jeryl Bier reported that Minnesota Fifth District Rep./Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman Keith Ellison and Nation of Islam Supreme Leader Louis Farrakhan had a reunion of sorts in September 2013: The occasion was a visit by Iran’s newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to the United Nations. Mr. Rouhani invited Muslim leaders from around the U.S. to dinner after addressing the
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February 13, 2018 — Scott Johnson
In his Wall Street Journal column this past Friday, Jeryl Bier reported that Minnesota Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison and Nation of Islam Supreme Leader Louis Farrakhan had a reunion of sorts in September 2013: The occasion was a visit by Iran’s newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to the United Nations. Mr. Rouhani invited Muslim leaders from around the U.S. to dinner after addressing the U.N. General Assembly. Contemporaneous news
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February 9, 2018 — John Hinderaker
I explained here why I don’t think that 2018 will be a Democratic blowout along the lines that 2010, for example, was for Republicans. Today more evidence that November won’t be a walk in the park for Democrats came from Minnesota, where 8th District representative Rick Nolan announced that he will not seek re-election: U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan said Friday that he will not run for re-election this year, an
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February 9, 2018 — Scott Johnson
Minnesota Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison is now the Vice Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He’s not some inconsequential backbencher from flyover land. He embodies the alliance of radical Islam and the Democratic Party. He signifies. We’ve been covering him since he secured the DFL nomination to succeed 14-term incumbent Martin Sabo in the spring of 2006. For public purposes since then Ellison has denounced and disassociated himself from
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February 7, 2018 — John Hinderaker
Scott has written extensively about Ilhan Omar, who has received much favorable publicity as the first Somali-American to be elected to a state legislature, notwithstanding the fact that she appears to have committed bigamy and immigration fraud, a subject on which she refuses to answer questions. Because of her minority status–and, frankly, her exceptionally good looks–she has achieved national renown in a very short time. Last night, Minnesota held its
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January 30, 2018 — Scott Johnson
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras had essentially the entire Minnesota professional community supporting his nomination by President Trump to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Thanks to Al Franken, however, the nomination sat in limbo for six months. Mistah Franken–he dead. He revealed his true jerkhood in the matter of Justice Stras. The single blue slip veto applicable to federal appellate court nominees was interred with his bones. Today
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