The Trump campaign slammed reports that Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign told Arab American leaders in Detroit that she would likely appoint left-leaning Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison as the nation's top police officer if elected in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
“Keith Ellison is a perfect fit for a Kamala Harris administration. They are radical liberals who support abolishing bail and releasing violent criminals into the United States. The good news for the American people is that that will never happen because President Trump will win on November 5th,” Caroline Leavitt, national spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told Fox News Digital.
Reports surfaced over the weekend that the Harris campaign had told leaders of Detroit's Arab American community that Ellison was on Harris' shortlist for attorney general, a report Ellison has since denied.
“Arab American leaders in Detroit have been told by Kamala's campaign that @keithellison is a finalist for Attorney General if she wins,” Richard Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence under Trump, posted on X on Saturday.
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison arrives on stage to speak during day three of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on August 21, 2024. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
When reached for comment, Harris' campaign told Fox Digital it denied the reports, citing a post from Ellison's X account.
“This is a lie designed to incite people to hate Muslims,” Ellison wrote in response to Grenell's social media post.
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Ellison currently serves as Minnesota's Attorney General and is a left-leaning Democrat who represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019. Ellison is the first Muslim in U.S. history to be elected to Congress.
Ellison has long been a target of condemnation from conservatives, including last year when he likened Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to a slave character in Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film “Django Unchained,” blamed automakers for a surge in car thefts, criticized the state's response to a crime surge during and after the 2020 George Floyd riots and, in a speech at the Democratic National Convention last month, accused Republicans of thinking “they're above the law.”
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“No one is above the law, no one is below the law. In the Republican Party, everyone thinks they're above the law. In fact, nearly a dozen Republican lawyers have been charged with serious crimes. Even their lawyers need lawyers,” Ellison said at the Democratic National Convention, where Harris formally accepted the nomination after President Biden dropped out of the presidential race amid growing concerns about his mental health.
Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is embraced by U.S. President Joe Biden during a campaign event at IBEW Local 5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 2, 2024. President Joe Biden was with VP Harris at her second Labor Day event, her first since dropping out of the Democratic race and endorsing her as the 2024 Democratic candidate against former U.S. President Donald Trump. The event was attended by members of the IBEW, United Steelworkers, AFSCME and other unions. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Social media critics and conservatives this weekend voiced their disapproval of reports that the Harris campaign is considering Ellison as a top choice for U.S. attorney general.
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Media speculation has suggested that Harris' potential attorney general candidates could include current Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Vanita Gupta, and former Assistant Attorney General Sally Yates during the Obama administration. Julie Kelly, a conservative political commentator and journalist, said: Last month, the Harris campaign If Harris wins, she could nominate attorney Matthew Graves to be attorney general on Jan. 6. Graves is the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and the lead prosecutor for the 2021 attack by Trump supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison arrives on stage to speak during day three of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, August 21, 2024. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The reports that Ellison was on Harris's list of potential attorney general candidates come as she faces backlash from both Muslim and Jewish voters over her stance on the ongoing October 7 war with Israel.
Originally known as the “Dump Biden” campaign, Michigan Muslim Voters revamped its mission last month to rally support for Harris. The Dump Biden campaign first emerged earlier this year in Michigan, which has a large Muslim population. DearbornVoters criticized Biden for continuing to support Israel.
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“This action is a direct response to Kamala Harris' support for the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the Campaign to Abandon Harris said in a statement.
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at EnMarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, on August 29, 2024. Harris has been campaigning in southeast Georgia for the past two days. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
At the same time, former President Donald Trump has been trying to win the Jewish vote, predicting he could capture 50% of the population. A poll last month found Trump leading Harris among typically liberal Jewish voters in New York.
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Ellison's office did not respond to a request for additional comment from Fox News Digital on Sunday.
Get the latest 2024 election campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
Fox News Digital's Michael Lee contributed to this report.
