Shameful moment Minnesota's Democrat AG uses his phone while sat on stage at event as woman in audience cries while telling sad story

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:22, 23 April 2026 | Updated: 15:22, 23 April 2026 Minnesota's Democrat Attorney General has been blasted for using his phone while a woman became emotional as she recounted an interaction with ICE agents. Democratic Attorneys General Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Kwame Raoul of Illinois and Dan Rayfield of Oregon held a town hall in Minneapolis on Wednesday to discuss the lawsuits they have brought against the Trump administration. Ellison, whose state was at the center of the president's immigration crackdown earlier this year, was seen frequently checking his phone throughout the night. In one instance, a woman was telling the AGs about a time she went to observe Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. She said ICE agents were following school buses and 'using children to draw immigrant neighbors from their homes' when she allegedly became surround but law enforcement herself and fled to another street. 'Thank God I made it to that street. There were many of our community members just leaving work from the state hospital, which was right up there,' the woman said. 'They were able to be there and see what was happening. I was scared because ICE agents have been operating without impunity.' While the woman spoke, Ellison was typing away on his phone. At one point, a staffer came over to talk to him and he briefly put his phone down. Minnesota's Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison used his phone as a woman became emotional while recounting an interaction with ICE agents While the woman spoke, Ellison was typing away on his phone. At one point, a staffer came over to talk to him and he briefly put his phone down However, just moments after the staffer walked away, Ellison picked up his device and began typing. Ellison's actions drew criticism online, with many accusing him of being inconsiderate and lacking empathy.  'What an a**! How many times have we seen many do this? Any hearing in Washington, city hall meetings, town hall meetings, school board....they are not even listening,' one person wrote on X. 'Learn some f*****g, MANNERS, no wonder youth end up like you, such a poor EXAMPLE!! You need to be dismissed, & grow UP,' a second person wrote. 'Hahaha I love how nobody even PRETENDS to give a f**k anymore,' added a third.   'Sure seems like every level of government despises and looks down on the people the are supposed to represent and work for,' wrote a fourt.   Others accused Ellison of being addicted to his cell phone, writing on X, 'Phone addiction is a real thing.' 'He managed to put that thing down for 8 seconds! World record,' wrote a second person.  Ellison's actions drew criticism online, with many accusing him of being inconsiderate and lacking empathy 'Put the phone away. Even if it’s on the table we know the phone is more important to him than the people in the room,' added a third. 'OMG!! Is he a child?? I would have taken it away from him! How freaking rude,' wrote a fourth. A fifth person wrote, 'In his defense he has a good candy crush run going.' Some people came to Ellison's defense, saying they were not moved by the woman's speech and would have been on their phones too. 'Rude for sure; and that’s okay given the pitiful speech - but he for the wrong reason. Ellison is evil,' one person wrote.  'Well, she's upset about the ICE agents. So, I'm not empathetic. But, HE should have been considering his stance,' wrote a second. 'Hear what she is saying? I’d be on my phone, too,' added a third. A spokesperson for Ellison told the Daily Mail that the AG was 'taking notes about what the speaker was saying.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.