- PAUL, Minn. – As a practical matter, Attorney General Keith Ellison said he usually jawbones with people planning gatherings that exceed the 250-person max in state COVID regulations. Ellison said he has worked with organizers of more than 80 events across the state since the limit was created. What about Vice President Pence’s rally in Hibbing and President Trump’s in Duluth and now in Rochester? Ellison, a Democrat, called oversize rallies not a good idea: “COVID-19 is not a political statement but a deadly virus and the cause of a global pandemic.” But, he noted, he could open a civil investigation and could eventually file a complaint. That hasn’t happened so far. Even so, he said he couldn’t exempt anyone, regardless of their political views, from complying with requirements to keep all Minnesotans safe.
