By C.J., Star Tribune

Last update: June 4, 2010 - 3:39 PM

Congressman Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Congress, has filed for a legal separation from his wife, Kim Dore Ellison.

Ellison could not be reached for comment on the legal papers filed in Hennepin County on April 29. The staffer who answered the phone today at Ellison's D.C. office said, "He's actually on a plane right now. I can see what I can do."

According to the MPLS Mirror, the Ellisons have been married more than 20 years.

When asked how long the Ellisons have been married, the congressman's attorney, Carla Kjellberg, said, "I don't comment on private family business with my clients." Kjellberg did, however, correct me on the papers filed.

"I am not representing Keith Ellison in a divorce," said Kjellberg. When I corrected myself by describing the document as a legal separation, Kjellberg said, "That's what's filed."

Since Kjellberg doesn't answer questions about her clients, I did not bother to ask why Ellison seemingly tried to hide this change in his personal status. Al and Tipper Gore dropped a bombshell e-mail on friends early this week by announcing their separation. Apparently, no papers have been filed in the case of the Gores, who've been married for 40 years.

There is no mention of a marriage among the "Biographical Highlights" on the 5th District congressman's website.

A November 2006 Star Tribune profile of Ellison stated:

"When he's home, Ellison will attend the Masjid An-Nur mosque on the North Side in Minneapolis. He and his wife, Kim, are raising their four children in the faith, but Kim is not a Muslim. She said she is more of a seeker, interested in many faiths, including Native American spirituality."

Mrs. Ellison is known to suffer from multiple sclerosis.

This guy is such a douchebag either way...