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Capitol View®
Tom Scheck

Ellison on why he got arrested.

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DFL Rep. Keith Ellison spoke with MPR's Tom Crann this afternoon to explain why he decided to get arrested at a protest in Washington D.C. Ellison was attending a protest outside of the Sudanese Embassy to criticize the Sudanese president for alleged atrocities in the country and for expelling 16 aid agencies from Darfur. Police asked the members of Congress and activist leaders to leave after they spoke on the steps of the embassy to a group of local activists and Darfuris. The police arrested them when the protest continued.

Here's the interview with Ellison:

Minnesota Republican Party Chair Ron Carey called Ellison's action a publicity stunt.

"Nobody can condone genocide but as a member of Congress, I think Congressman Ellison has the responsibility to be a role model and set an example. What does it say to other citizens when you have a congressman who is blatantly on purpose violating the law?"

Here's the list of those arrested with Ellison:

Jim McGovern (D-MA), John Lewis (D-GA), Donna Edwards (D-MD), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) along with Save Darfur Coalition president Jerry Fowler, Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.