Security company that sought armed election security in Minnesota appears in court

A national ad recruiting former military members to provide armed security in Minnesota on Election Day and after has received a great deal of attention over the last few weeks, leading to a court hearing Monday.

Friday, Attorney General Keith Ellison reached an agreement that put a stop to the recruiting, but the concern that it could still happen brought the issue into court.

The company, Atlas Aegis, agreed it would not provide any protective agent services in Minnesota through Jan. 2022 and will not seek to intimidate voters in Minnesota or elsewhere in connection with the election. The penalty will be $50,000 if they do.

Despite that, the injunction brought by CAIR-Minnesota and the League of Women Voters argued in court Monday because they fear the agreement isn’t strong enough.

CAIR believes Rep. Ilhan Omar could be a target for potential voter intimidation.

The request for the injunction states, “The image of armed vigilantes at polling stations is particularly traumatic for people who have recently immigrated,” and “The likelihood of CAIR-Minnesota members not voting if nothing is done to remedy this threat is extremely high.”

The group argues that Atlas Aegis Chairman Anthony Caudle could still provide the armed guards on his own or under a different company name.

The company’s lawyer argued that it’s a moot point, saying their recruiting for armed security for Minnesota’s election is over.

The judge will issue a ruling in the coming days in a case that shows how much this election is so different in so many ways.