FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2017, file photo, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison addresses campaign volunteers and supporters in Minneapolis. A lawyer investigating a claim by Ellison's ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan that she was physically abused by Ellison in 2016 has concluded the allegation is unsubstantiated. The Associated Press on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, obtained a draft of the report by Susan Ellingstad, an attorney hired by Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to investigate the allegation. (Alex Kormann /Star Tribune via AP, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2017, file photo, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison addresses campaign volunteers and supporters in Minneapolis. A lawyer investigating a claim by Ellison's ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan that she was physically abused by Ellison in 2016 has concluded the allegation is unsubstantiated. The Associated Press on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, obtained a draft of the report by Susan Ellingstad, an attorney hired by Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to investigate the allegation. (Alex Kormann /Star Tribune via AP, File) Credit: Alex Kormann

Washington — Rep. Keith Ellison said on Wednesday that he is mulling whether he will continue in his position as deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, an announcement that comes as the Minnesota lawmaker faces accusations that he abused his former girlfriend.

In an interview with Minneapolis-based WCCO Radio, Ellison said he is “evaluating” whether he will step down from the position, which he has held since last year.

He did not indicate whether his decision was linked to claims that he dragged his former girlfriend, Karen Monahan, off a bed and screamed obscenities at her in 2016. Ellison has denied the allegations.

“I need to put 100 percent of my time, energy and resources into the race and into my office,” said Ellison, who is running for Minnesota attorney general. “And so that’s something I am taking consideration on. I’ll put it like this, though: I will be 110 percent for Minnesota all the time, every time, without fail. And so, that is something that we are beginning to evaluate right now.”

Monahan recently posted online a medical record from 2017 that she has cited as proof that she previously discussed her allegations against Ellison with her doctor.

An attorney connected to the state Democratic Party investigated Monahan’s claims and said they could not be substantiated because Monahan declined to provide video footage of the alleged incident, according to the Associated Press, which reviewed a draft of the attorney’s report.

Ellison maintained on Wednesday that the video “couldn’t possibly exist, because what is alleged didn’t happen.”

The news comes as the issue of sexual misconduct remains at the center of the national political debate. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard emotional testimony by President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, and Christine Blasey Ford, the professor who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when the two were teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations.

Ellison has called for the House Committee on Ethics to conduct an inquiry into his case.

The Minneapolis Police Department has said it will not investigate the allegations against Ellison “due to a conflict of interest, or the appearance of a conflict of interest,” according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The department said it is currently communicating with other agencies that may handle the matter instead.