Keith Ellison resigns from DNC post amid sexual assault claims

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Are Democrats ignoring Keith Ellison's accuser?

Karen Monahan claims to have been smeared, threatened and isolated from the Democratic Party.

Keith Ellison on Thursday officially stepped down from his role as the Democratic National Committee's second-in-command. Ellison was elected Minnesota attorney general in Tuesday's midterm elections, despite ongoing controversy over allegations of abuse by his former girlfriend.

"Keith's decision means Minnesotans will have a full-time champion fighting for affordable health care, a fair economy, and opportunity for all," DNC chair Tom Perez wrote in an email advising supporters he had accepted Ellison's resignation. "His tireless service as deputy chair enabled us to make substantial progress in rebuilding our party and rebuilding trust with our grassroots."

Ellison on Tuesday defeated Republican opponent Doug Wardlow to become Minnesota's incoming top lawyer, and the first Muslim to win statewide office in U.S. history.

But Ellison's campaign for attorney general was at risk of being derailed by allegations he abused his former longtime girlfriend Karen Monahan. Ellison has vehemently denied Monahan's claims, and a probe launched by Minnesota's state Democratic Party, called the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, reported in October that it had not found any evidence to substantiate Monahan's story.

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