Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sharply confronted Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Thursday, accusing him of taking campaign donations from individuals implicated in a massive fraud scheme that siphoned hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

The Missouri senator pointed toreporting that Ellison received $10,000 in political contributions from people connected to the Feeding Our Future scandal, which authorities say stole $250 million in public funds.

“You helped fraudsters defraud your state and this government of $9 billion — and you got a campaign contribution out of it,” Hawley charged. “You ought to be indicted.”

Hawley pressed Ellison about what the stolen money funded, saying testimony showed it flowed to “terrorists … international criminal organizations, to the drug trade, to drug trafficking, to child trafficking.”

“You took $10,000,” he repeated.

“That’s a lie,” Ellison shot back.

When Hawley attempted to reference a whistleblower dating back to 2019, Ellison interrupted, prompting the senator to retort, “Don’t talk over me. … It’s my hearing, pal.”

“Don’t call me ‘pal,’” Ellison snapped.

“Well, I should call you a prisoner because you ought to be in jail,” Hawley boomed, accusing Ellison of ignoring repeated fraud warnings from Feeding Our Future. “Listen to your own state newspaper.”

“That’s a lie,” Ellison said again.

Hawley cited the Minnesota Star Tribune, saying, “Partners in Nutrition brought its concerns to the attorney general’s office in 2018 and in 2019. And you did nothing. You did nothing for years… The only action you took is once all these fraudsters came to your office and asked you to get involved and offered your money… then you got involved.”

Ellison maintained that none of the implicated parties had visited his office. “They did not come to my office. You’re completely wrong. … I did not see anybody.”

Hawley countered that the nearly hour-long meeting existed on video and was easily searchable online. Ellison insisted the remarks Hawley used were “cherry-picked” and added, “No donations came.”

“You should resign,” Hawley declared.

“I was thinking the same thing about you,” Ellison fired back.

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