Author: @SoDakCampaigns

When you resign from being the Executive Director of the North Dakota Republican Party after a week on the job, the press release tends to be a bit short and sweet:

 

North Dakota GOP Executive Director Dave Roetman might be “a man who stands behind his words,” but after serving in the position barely over a week, apparently the NDGOP isn’t interested in what he has to say after Rob Port with the InForum newspapers in North Dakota uncovered dozens and dozens of offensive twitter posts that disparaged women, and in one case suggested that a black person should “move to Wakanda,” the fictional home of Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther.”

According to a story posted this afternoon by the Dakota Scout:

North Dakota GOP Executive Director Dave Roetman resigned from the post Monday after social media posts characterized as sexist and disparaging to women resurfaced following his hiring earlier this month.

and..

“I believe that the best path forward for the NDGOP is for me to take a different path,” Roetman said in a statement following his resignation. “I wish them all the best.” 

and..

Roetman, though, is not apologizing.

“I am a man who stands by his words,” Roetman told The Dakota Scout Monday.

Read the entire story here.

Now former NDGOP Executive Director Roetman apparently hadn’t managed to get much past the weekend after the number and degree of his twitter activity had been reviewed by the newspaper, before the pressure was on to “take a different path.”

We’ll see if any upcoming South Dakota campaigns are more tolerant of the words he chooses to stand by.

(Photo Credit Rob Port/Inforum)

Governor Noem and Colleagues Urge NCAA to Change Policies, Protect Fairness in Women’s Sports 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem led eight of her fellow Republican governors in urging the NCAA to rewrite its Transgender Student Athlete Policy. Governor Noem and her colleagues communicated this in a letter to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. The full letter can be found here.

The NCAA’s Transgender Student Athlete Policy reads: “Transgender student-athlete participation for each sport [is] to be determined by the policy for the national governing body of that sport.” The letter urges the NCAA to change this policy to protect fairness in women’s sports.

“The NCAA has the chance to guarantee an environment where female college athletes can thrive without the concern of inequities… But this policy allows the NCAA to avoid responsibility for ensuring the fairness of collegiate sports – therefore it must be changed,” wrote Governor Noem and her colleagues.

Governor Noem has been a leader in the country for fairness in girls’ and women’s sports. Last year, she signed the toughest bill in the nation to protect girls’ sports. She followed that action by leading a letter co-signed by 15 Republican governors urging the Biden Administration not to reinterpret Title IX. She also hosted a roundtable on protecting girls’ sports with Riley Gaines earlier this year.

“As governors of our states, it is our responsibility to care for our constituents, and we are doing all we can to protect the fairness of athletics in our states,” continued Governor Noem and the other governors. “Now, it is time for the NCAA to do the same and make the best decision for all of your athletes. We strongly encourage you to rewrite your Transgender Student Athlete Policy to protect, preserve, and encourage fairness in women’s athletics.”

Governor Noem was joined by the following Republican governors in sending this letter:

Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.

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Rob Port with InForum newspapers in North Dakota has a new article out this afternoon about the North Dakota Republican Party’s new Executive Director, and ex-chair of the Minnehaha County GOP, Dave Roetman.  And it’s a doozy.

Apparently Rob went through Roetman’s twitter account, and found the type of things that a person really does not want to have come out about their conduct on Twitter.

On X (formerly twitter), Mr. Roetman was a frequent commenter on photos of women in various states of undress, often commenting, “she seems nice.”

In other posts, Roetman was openly disparaging of women.

“Here’s a quarter, keep it between your knees,” he said in response to a post about a woman seeking relationship advice. He endorsed groping women, and in response to another user’s post about whether an attractive woman in a photograph could make sandwiches, made a crude quip about making pies.

and..

Roetman also made bigoted comments about race. In response to a news article about Black Americans leaving the country, he posted a meme saying, “Well…bye.”

and..

You can view the nearly 100 images I captured from his account here. I’ll warn you, again, that these images are offensive and often quite risque.

When I reached him for comment about these posts, asking if he felt they represented appropriate behavior for a party leader, Roetman was unapologetic. “I am a man who stands by his words,” he said in an emailed reply.

Read the entire story here.

Oh my!  That’s not good.

And lest you think the stuff Rob pulled off of twitter is ancient, Dave’s endorsement of the groping of a woman’s breasts was dated September 17th.. as in a month ago.

This might be the shortest tenure ever for a North Dakota GOP Executive Director.

Rounds, Scott Introduce Bill to Strengthen CFIUS Review Process, Protect American Land

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, joined Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to introduce the Protect Our Bases Act. This legislation would make certain the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) can review foreign land purchases near sensitive military, intelligence and national laboratory sites by requiring member agencies to annually update and review their lists of these sites.

“Protecting American land is critical to maintaining our national security,” said Rounds. “Our near-peer adversaries, like China, only wish to gain advantage and opportunities to surveil our nation’s capabilities and resources. I am pleased to join Ranking Member Scott on this legislation to make our homeland more secure.”

“The Chinese Communist Party can’t be allowed to compromise the security of military and government facilities on our home turf,” said Scott. “By enhancing the review of foreign real estate transactions near sites that are vital to U.S. national security, this legislation will increase accountability to help ensure the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States can take proper action to push back on Communist China and keep our nation safe.”

In addition to Rounds and Scott, this legislation was introduced by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.)

BACKGROUND:

In 2022, Fufeng Group, a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, announced it would purchase land near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. CFIUS determined that it could not evaluate the transaction for national security risks because the Department of Defense had not listed the base as a sensitive site for national security purposes. Although the City of Grand Forks ultimately blocked the transaction, the incident demonstrated a significant flaw in the review process of foreign land purchases. CFIUS relies on its member agencies to provide updated information on sensitive military, intelligence and national laboratory sites in order to properly assess the security risk of foreign investment in our country. If CFIUS member agencies do not appropriately update their site lists, CFIUS cannot guarantee an accurate review.

 The senators’ bill requires agencies represented on CFIUS to provide updated records of the military, intelligence and national laboratory facilities that should be sensitive sites for national security purposes to CFIUS on an annual basis. Additionally, the legislation requires CFIUS to submit an annual report to Congress certifying the completion of such reviews and the accuracy of its real estate listings.

 The Protect Our Bases Act builds on Rounds’ existing legislative work to safeguard America from malign foreign investments that pose national security concerns. Earlier this year, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (FY24 NDAA) by a vote of 86-11 The FY24 NDAA included an amendment offered by Rounds that bans foreign adversaries from purchasing American farmland and agricultural businesses. Additionally, it would add the Secretary of Agriculture as an ex officio member of CFIUS to consider agriculture needs when making determinations affecting our national security and require the president to submit a report to Congress on any waiver granted to a prohibited country

Click HERE for full bill text.

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Hearing a rumor this week after Keith Moore’s movement from the South Dakota office of Americans for Prosperity to Senator Rounds’ office that another SD politico may be moving in AFP’s direction.

It’s rumored that Kyle Holt, a former Deputy Secretary of Ag, is to be the new State Director of Americans for Prosperity.

Kyle is fairly well respected in around the State Capitol, so this would be a good move for the advocacy group, which got on the wrong side of some members of the legislature in the last election with being more active in the primary and general campaign process.

We’ll see if this is just rumor, but my source is generally “in the know.”

Gov. Noem to Host Trick-or-Treat Festivities at Governor’s Residence 

Happy Halloween! We enjoyed seeing all of you at the Governor’s residence tonight for trick or treating! Our family dressed as the four Presidents on Mt Rushmore and had some pretty fantastic mascots too! pic.twitter.com/kkKx3D8UDD

— Governor Kristi Noem (@GovKristiNoem) November 1, 2020

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem and First Gentleman Bryon Noem will host the annual tick-or-treat festivities at the Governor’s Residence in Pierre on Tuesday, October 31^st from 5:30 to 7pm CT.

“This is one of my favorite events every year. Bryon and I always love to see all of the children dressed up in their Halloween costumes. You’ll have to come see what we’re dressing up as this year,” said Governor Noem. “We can’t wait to welcome all of our South Dakota families to the Governor’s Residence for our annual Halloween tradition!”

Governor Noem asks children and parents across South Dakota to observe the following Halloween safety tips:

• Trick-or-treat during daylight hours or take a flashlight if going out after dark;
• Add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags;
• Make sure vision is clear when wearing masks or other head garb;
• Adults should accompany young children; unaccompanied children should trick-or-treat in groups; and,
• Inspect candy before consuming; discard anything suspicious.

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Thune Discusses Bipartisan Trip to Middle East

 “If Hamas and its reign of terror is allowed to continue, no nation in the region or beyond will be able to live in peace and security.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) this week spoke on the Senate floor about his visit to the Middle East as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Yesterday, Thune spoke about the need for the United States to support Israel as it works to eliminate Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and he called on the Biden administration to prioritize freeing American hostages. Thune also joined Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News and Stuart Varney on Fox Business to discuss Iran’s blatant role in fostering and supporting terrorism in the Middle East.

Johnson Votes to Restore Order to House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to elect Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana as Speaker of the House to restore order in the House of Representatives.

“I’m proud to vote for Rep. Mike Johnson for Speaker,” said Johnson. “Now we can put these unfortunate three weeks behind us and get back to work to address the southern border, $33 trillion of national debt, and a looming government shutdown.”

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Johnson Supports Israel, Condemns Hamas 

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to express unconditional support for Israel and condemn Hamas in response to Hamas’ acts of terror on Israel.

“Hamas is evil. America can’t allow terrorists to grow in strength,” said Johnson. “Israel has the right to fight back, and they have the wide support of Congress in that endeavor.”

After weeks of stalemate, the first act of the House showed strong, bipartisan support for America’s ally, Israel. Johnson recently cosponsored legislation to condemn the Hamas terror attacks. Read full bill text here.

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