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Our nation loves to celebrate holidays. Today, I want to talk about one day that does not get enough attention: September 17, Constitution Day.

On September 17, 1787, our Founding Fathers signed the document that has shaped our nation ever since: the U.S. Constitution. Over the last couple years, I have spoken many times about upholding the Constitution, and about how South Dakota is setting an example for the nation that constitutional principles still work. Some might think that I even talk about it too much – but there’s a reason why I do. That reason is best articulated by a story from another September 17.

To this day, September 17, 1862, remains the bloodiest 24 hours in American history. On that day, the Battle of Antietam was fought during the Civil War, and an estimated 23,000 young American men were killed or wounded.

What were those men fighting for? Our Constitution. It mattered to them. It mattered to those who were fighting to preserve our Union. The Confederacy had attempted to break the Constitution by seceding, and the men defending our Union were determined to uphold it.

There is a scene from this battle recorded by one anonymous soldier. As one of the regiments was, for the second time, entering the conflict, one soldier staggered. But he was not wounded – he had just seen his father lying dead upon the battlefield.

Another man, who knew them both, pointed to his father’s corpse and then pointed upwards. He said, “It is alright with him,” and the son continued with him into the battle. He passed his father’s dead body and did his duty to defend our Constitution.

We must exhibit the same bravery and sense of duty in defending our Constitution and the principles that our nation was founded on. We must do it even when it isn’t popular. We must do it because it is the right thing to do.

South Dakota has done this time and time again. When other states were destroying the Freedom of Religion, South Dakota never ordered a single church to close. When others were attacking the Freedom of Assembly, South Dakota allowed people to make their own decisions about who to gather with. When other states – and the federal government – tried to tear down the 2^nd Amendment, South Dakota set the standard for defense of the right to keep and bear arms. I have always remained focused on what authorities I have and do not have – and I will continue to do so for as long as I am Governor.

The principles that our Founding Fathers followed in creating our Constitution – Freedom, Equality, Opportunity – these are still the most powerful forces known to man to make all of us safer, stronger, and healthier. South Dakota will continue to stand for these principles, and I will continue to stand for our Constitution.

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The August District Work Period is coming to a close, and next week Members of the House head back to D.C. for votes.

August was full of meetings in South Dakota with constituents, community leaders, small business owners, and more. I hosted town halls, visited county fairs, honored veterans, and toured businesses.

My meetings took me all over the state—from Spearfish to North Sioux City and St. Francis to Frederick—let’s just say I had a lot of time in the car.

Some of my favorite stops?

1. Touring Anthem Oats in Frederick—their story of a five-generation family farmstead is rooted in South Dakota values and tradition. The Sumption family grows the Rushmore variety of oats that was developed at SDSU. They value quality from start to finish and they support other American family-owned businesses in the process. Not to mention how delicious these oats are!
2. Seeing the newest innovation for the ag industry at DakotaFest.
3. Visiting Silencer Central when they were named one of America’s fastest growing companies.
4. Honoring hundreds of Vietnam Veterans at Vietnam Veteran Pinning Ceremoniesacross the state. Each veteran had an opportunity for their unique story to be recognized and received thanks and gratitude for their service.
5. Touring Albany Farms in Belle Fourche—after encountering supply chain disruptions in California, Albany Farms decided to relocate its ramen noodle production to South Dakota, and we are happy to have them. Their new facility will bring 150 jobs to Belle Fourche.

While I have meetings regularly in South Dakota throughout the year, being home for the whole month of August was a great opportunity to have more visits. There truly is no place like home.

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Attorney General Mark Vargo announces that Hughes County State’s Attorney Jessica LaMie will investigate Government Accountability Board complaint 

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Government Accountability Board has informed the Office of the Attorney General that it has voted to refer Complaint No. 2021-04 involving South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to the Attorney General’s office for investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation. The board has done so without making any findings based on its statutory authority to refer any investigation, report or complaint it receives to the Division of Criminal Investigation.

The Division of Criminal Investigation will promptly review and investigate this matter. Gov. Noem appointed Attorney General Vargo to his post in June. In order to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, Attorney General Mark Vargo has requested that supervision of the investigation and any charging decisions will be undertaken by Jessica LaMie, Hughes County State’s Attorney. LaMie has agreed to oversee the investigation. Because the investigation is on-going, the A.G.’s office will have no further comment and will not release any reports or evidence concerning the complaint until the investigation is complete.

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Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon was indicted in New York State this week for allegedly bilking people for millions, and making it his personal piggy bank:

Bannon, 68, surrendered to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Thursday morning. A six-count indictment charges the controversial former White House adviser with money laundering, conspiracy and scheming to defraud for his alleged role in We Build the Wall, a group that raised at least $15 million to construct a barrier along the border with Mexico but skimmed the donations.

and…

“It is a crime to turn a profit by lying to donors, and in New York, you will be held accountable,” Bragg said in a statement. “As alleged, Stephen Bannon acted as the architect of a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud thousands of donors across the country — including hundreds of Manhattan residents.”

Read that here.

I know that group sounds familiar. Where have we heard about the “We Build The Wall” group before? I think it was back in 2020 When Julie Frye Mueller was being wined & dined by the group….

 

and..

and…

Whoops!

From Fox News, Queen Elizabeth passed away today at the age of 96:

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch who served as the beloved face of her country and source of strength for seven decades, died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was 96.

Elizabeth’s doctors said earlier Thursday that they were “concerned for Her Majesty’s health” and that she was “resting comfortably” at Balmoral under medical supervision.

Read the entire story here.

This week Politico had a story where South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds had some words about former President Trump’s removal of classified documents from the White House:

Some Republicans, though they’ve been few and far between so far, have openly criticized Trump’s handling of the documents and assert that he never should have had them in the first place.

“You shouldn’t be taking those classified things that are supposed to be … in a classified location,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who has previously drawn Trump’s ire for criticizing the former president’s false claims about the 2020 election. “There are specific areas where classified materials are looked at. And it’s pretty clear-cut.”

Read the entire story here.

Thune: Democrats’ Big-Government, Big-Spending Agenda Does Nothing to Ease Economic Pain

“What [the Inflation Reduction Act] will do is spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on Democrats’ socialist, big-government fantasies – and raise taxes to help pay for it.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed how the Democrats’ so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” will do nothing to reduce inflation and how it will instead double down on wasteful government spending and increase the tax burden on American businesses and middle-income families. Thune noted that Democrats should start focusing on pro-growth economic policies that would actually help working families who have experienced a de facto pay cut due to record-high inflation and President Biden’s failed policies.

The Associated Press has posted an expose on some elected officials having been members of the Oath Keeper’s group, which is accused of playing a role in the January 6 riots and insurrection activities at the US Capitol.  The downside is that we’ve read about a lot of this already, as they point out what we already knew, that State Representative Phil Jensen was at least once counted among their members.

The data raises fresh concerns about the presence of extremists in law enforcement and the military who are tasked with enforcing laws and protecting the U.S. It’s especially problematic for public servants to be associated with extremists at a time when lies about the 2020 election are fueling threats of violence against lawmakers and institutions.

and..

Jensen said he felt compelled to join because he “believed in the oath that we took to support the US Constitution and to defend it against enemies foreign and domestic.” He wouldn’t say whether he now disavows the Oath Keepers, saying he doesn’t have enough information about the group today.

“Back in 2014, they appeared to be a pretty solid conservative group, I can’t speak to them now,” he said.

Read the entire story here.

Not sure what the purpose of this new story is, since we read most of it last year.  Obviously, it didn’t matter to Phil Jensen’s voters in the primary.

Just had this goofball advertisement pop up on my facebook. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Jamie Smith is now going so far as to pump out facebook ads to make the bizarre claim that “Republican Governor Kristi Noem” is “dangerous.”

Umm.. really? Does he have some mystery footage of her walking around with a pointed stick or something? That might be the goofiest thing said by a campaign this year to date.

I mean, Kristi being in the race is more than dangerous, and is a fatal blow to Smith’s chances of even being considered for the job for Governor.  But other than that, Governor Noem is pretty benign, if not outright gregarious, unless one is trying to shut down the state. Then you’re probably going to be on the receiving end of her ire.

Speaking of campaigns being a bit dodgy, I did notice that in last week’s roll out for the Dakota Scout publication in Sioux Falls, the Jamie Smith Campaign skipped something that all the other political advertisers did not.  The legally required advertising disclaimer:

Maybe you can find it, but I sure don’t see the disclaimer required by SDCL 12-27-15.

12-27-15. Political communications to contain certain language–Exceptions–Violation as misdemeanor.

Any printed material or communication made, purchased, paid for, or authorized by a candidate or political committee that disseminates information concerning a candidate, public office holder, ballot question, or political party shall prominently display or clearly speak the statement: “Paid for by (name of candidate or political committee).” This section does not apply to buttons, balloons, pins, pens, matchbooks, clothing, or similar small items upon which the inclusion of the statement would be impracticable. A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor. A subsequent offense within a calendar year is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Read that here.

Maybe Smith can claim to be focused on South Dakota by riding in the back of a truck, but his campaign doesn’t seem to be focused on following South Dakota Campaign finance laws.

A coalition of moneyed donors has come together and is serving as the financial backing trying to stop a new ag processing plant from opening on the outskirts of Sioux Falls, according to a report filed by the Argus Leader:

Nearly all of the funding comes from five contributions from entities: POET LLC, and JDS Industries, each of which donated $25,000, Elgethun Capital and Cellular Only 41st, each of which donated $10,000 and GL Management, LLC, which donated $5,000.

Another $10,000 was donated by Todd Broin, the younger brother of POET CEO Jeff Broin. Other donors include $2,000 from philanthropist Joe Kirby and $2,500 from David Bockorny, the CEO of a Washington, D.C.-based government affairs consulting firm.

and..

Gov. Kristi Noem said last week the ballot measure “puts every single project we do in South Dakota in jeopardy in the future,” adding she’s aware of projects that have already pulled out of the state after watching the fight.

Read the entire story here.

According to the report, the vast lion’s share of the money raised to date appears to have been spent on salaries, which brings into question whether the opposition was organic, versus a few people with cash hiring petitioners.