Republican legislators are calling on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to condemn a comment Attorney General Keith Ellison posted to social media on Monday that seemingly endorsed a court ruling in Brazil to block its citizens from accessing the X social media platform.
Ellison posted “Obrigado, Brasil!” from one of this two X social media accounts, just hours after the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil upheld a measure which bans Brazilians from using X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Translated from Portuguese to English, Ellison was exclaiming “Thanks Brazil!”
Ellison’s comment drew viral backlash from a number of Republican elected officials in Minnesota and conservative political pundits across America, gained national attention from a number of news outlets and received condemnation from Elon Musk himself, owner and chairman of X.
To date Ellison’s comment has been viewed nearly 4 million times by X users. The two-term Democrat has yet to further articulate the meaning behind his comment amidst the criticism.
On Thursday afternoon House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth and 31 other Republican legislators formally sent a letter to Walz asking him to answer a line of questions connected to Ellison’s social media post. Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, posted a copy of the letter to X.
“Instead of standing in solidarity with those struggling for individual freedom, it appears [Attorney General Ellison] is expressing support for an authoritarian crackdown on free speech,” the letter reads. “This is particularly troubling given the oath each of us took to ‘support the constitution of the United States and of this state,’ as well as the special role of our state attorney general to uphold the constitutional rights of all Minnesotans.”
JUST NOW: Minnesota House Republicans send letter to Governor Walz and attorney General Ellison seeking clarification on Ellison’s apparent support for censorship in Brazil.
"Given the context of recent events in Brazil, this post has raised significant concern about what… pic.twitter.com/rK1ywhBAkJ
— Rep. Harry Niska (@HarryNiska) September 5, 2024
The letter goes on to demand clarity from Ellison on whether he posted the comment himself or authorized a staff member to post it for him.
“If so, was he thanking Brazil for its crackdown on speech, or for something else?” the letter continues. “If Attorney General Ellison’s post was referencing the Brazilian government’s censorship of opposition speech, we are gravely concerned about his ability to faithfully perform his duties as Minnesota Attorney General.”
Ellison posted the controversial comment from his personal account. He also posts on X from a more official “@AGEllison” account.
Demuth and the legislators who signed onto the letter also said they are calling on Gov. Walz to join them in condemning Ellison’s apparent celebration of the court ruling.
“Gov Walz, while we have disagreements with your record in this area,” the Republican legislators wrote, “you have professed support for First Amendment principles. We therefore expect that you are troubled by Attorney General Ellison’s apparent support for censorship of opposition voices in one of the largest democracies in the Western Hemisphere, and we urge you to join us in condemning that authoritarian censorship.”
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
