Attorney General Jackley Announces No Evidence Of Criminal Wrongdoing In Abortion Rights Ballot Measure Telephone Calls

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Attorney General Jackley Announces No Evidence Of Criminal Wrongdoing In Abortion Rights Ballot Measure Telephone Calls

 PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the State Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing including by volunteers calling signatories of the Abortion Rights ballot petitions.

The volunteers were connected to the group, South Dakota Petition Integrity which is properly registered at the Secretary of State’s Office.

DCI was asked Monday to look into the calls by the Secretary of State’s Office which had received complaints from some of the measure’s signers.  DCI’s investigation found that the calls do not violate existing South Dakota law.

“The DCI investigation acted promptly in reviewing the complaints as well as the scripts used by the volunteers,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Based on the evidence collected, there is no indication of criminal activity.”

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24 thoughts on “Attorney General Jackley Announces No Evidence Of Criminal Wrongdoing In Abortion Rights Ballot Measure Telephone Calls”

  2. AG Jackley from Argus today: “The legislature has said you can do certain things that can create a misdemeanor and that really isn’t what happened here. You’re allowed to impersonate an elected official — I have it happen to me routinely as Attorney General — maybe if I walk into a comedy club or a political function — that’s not illegal.”

    This is getting out of hand. The law allowing people to rescind their signatures has created a huge mess. I am pro-life but even I can see this is harassment. They are harassing voters when they sign a petition. Now they badger them after they’ve signed it. And, in their calls, they apparently sound like they are calling from the Secretary of State’s office.

    But Marty Jackley sees no evil. He says “You’re allowed to impersonate an elected official”? Huh? This isn’t a “comedy club”. This is serious stuff and needs to be treated as such. He needs to step up, show some leadership and do what he can to put an end to this garbage.

      1. People can read it for themselves.

        Multiple people asserted that it happened. The AG claims he can’t verify that those calls happened. But that does not mean, of course, that they didn’t.

        Now, Jackley has given them the green light to deceive people in the future.

        IF… it’s legal to impersonate a Secretary of State (or imply that their office is involved) in a circumstance like this, then it shouldn’t be. It’s fraudulent. And all of this badgering needs to stop.

        1. they script says their group is REGISTERED with the SOS office.

          That’s factual.
          It’s only misleading if you’re stupid.

          1. We can’t know for sure what the caller said, but I can tell you what the AG said: “You’re allowed to impersonate an elected official…” And THAT is a big problem.

            1. We can’t know for sure what the callers said but we do know all the people who signed that petition did not realize they were putting themselves on a call/mailing list. So they aren’t very bright.

              1. Got news for you. Many, if not most, SD voters have signed a petition at some point.

                Claiming that so many citizens “aren’t very bright” just proves that you are the one most deserving of that description.

                1. petitions turn into call & mailing lists

                  if you don’t want to get calls and mai, don’t sign one

                  1. If you hate people signing petitions so much, create a ballot initiative to get rid of them.

  3. Isn’t this the kind of thing that Austin Goss got charged for?

    Now it’s the M. O. of the pro life movement?

    2. no, the callers dod NOT say they worked for the SOS office. I just posted the article Elk was referencing.
      Anybody with an 8th grade level of reading comprehension can understand it. There was no evidence the callers were claiming to be affiliated with the SOS office, but even if there had been, it would not necessarily be a violation of state law.

      1. How do you know what that caller told them?

        It is NOT ok to harass or deceive those who sign a petition. It has to stop. In Pierre, any idiot legislator can introduce a bill. But these folks are trying to make the initiative process a living hell. It’s outrageous.

        1. the callers are using a script. Hansen showed the AG’s office the script.

          When you sign a petition, you are putting your name on a mailing and calling list. You are giving your name and address to a stranger who accosted you in a parking lot.

          You can test this out with a slight alteration to your address, a misspelling of the street or town will do the trick.
          Then see how much junk mail you get with that spelling mistake in it.

          There is nothing wrong with harassing stupid people, in fact, it’s a lot of fun.

          1. Whether they were always following a script or not, the petition signers felt deceived and harassed. That is one problem. But the AG telling groups that the CAN impersonate the Secretary of State… is a much bigger problem. Is that not obvious?

          2. Oh look at the school yard bully, acting so tough on the internet. I bet you judge who’s smart and stupid right?

  4. I have watched two KELO videos about this and not found any quote by Jackley about anybody impersonating an official. Please provide a link.

    Dakota News Now ran a story yesterday in which the explanation was that the callers say their organization is registered with the SOS office.

    This statement is misleading only to stupid people who don’t know shit, the kind of people who give their names and addresses to strangers they meet in parking lots.

  5. About as shocking as when AG/DCI investigate a local police shooting. They have not, and never will, side with the public. These are big government control freaks, no different than California, just controlling different things.

    1. unless somebody has a recording of one of these callers saying they worked in the SOS office, there is no proof anybody said that.
      Yes, somebody might have gone off script, but as yet nobody has any proof of that.

      The callers identified themselves as representatives of a group which is registered with the SOS office. That’s quite a bit different from people identifying themselves as the Secretary of State. Has anybody said they received a call from the SOS herself? Was anybody impersonating her? Doesn’t sound like it.

      You have gone from feigned indignation over the phone calls to feigned indignation over Jackley’s comments.

      1. Do you really need proof? That extremist organization has pushed for the removal of abortion rights and pushed for this signature removal law being an emergency clause. They are doing anything they can to repeal this democratically derived decision that is set to not go their way, they are hoping for the state supreme court last. Is breaking the law really the line they won’t cross? I think we all know the answer to that question in the court of public opinion…..

  6. I wonder if Jon Hanson is offended that Monae Johnson called them a bunch of scammers. If I were in his shoes and the Secretary of State accused me of running a scam, only to have the Attorney General conclude definitively that I was not running a scam, I’d be pretty ticked at the Secretary of State for using the position to throw shade at me without justification or proof. If Jon decides to sue Monae for libel, I think he’d have a case.

    1. I don’t think he will sue for libel, the discovery phase would reveal publicly all that we don’t see. I think the SoS knows what happened, just like we did, which is why she used those terms. They will do anything to try and stop this. Making a publicity stunt out of it could change the privacy laws in the state and prohibit them from continuing the fight. I know I don’t want to be bothered for every petition I sign, maybe that shouldn’t be public record? Maybe we should have a “do not call” list at a state level so you can’t bother me on my cell phone during work hours for your little protest?

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