Looks like the Minnehaha GOP is getting along as well as ever, as GOP Activist and Minnehaha County Precinct Committeewoman Shamra Johnson is letting the Minnehaha GOP Vice-Chair Jennifer Foss have it with both barrels because she allowed Democrats to sponsor their Lincoln Day Dinner:

What brought this on?  Allegedly, an owner of one of the businesses had a ‘not cool’ comment on social media with regards to the recent assassination attempt against former President Trump.

Minnehaha County Republicans, get your popcorn ready..

Protecting Americans
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
July 19, 2024

BIG News

The assassination attempt on President Trump was unacceptable. The events of Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania are a tragic picture of our current political climate and we all must agree to turn the temperature down. While the violent rhetoric in politics may have contributed to the assassination attempt, the Secret Service failed to uphold its duty that day.

I’ve been on briefings with House Republicans, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI officials as we try to understand how this plot unfolded and how this security gap occurred. The House Committees on Oversight, Homeland Security, and the Judiciary have all scheduled hearings next week to hear from Secret Service Director Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, and FBI Director Wray on the security protocols during the rally. I urge these officials to show up at these hearings, to testify, and answer questions. This shooting should never have happened, and it certainly should not happen again.

I extend my condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore who lost his life on Saturday, and I am grateful for the work of first responders and Secret Service officers who ran into the gunfire to protect Trump and others in the crowd.

BIG Idea

Aerostar makes radar and stratospheric balloon systems (think about that Chinese spy balloon we saw across America, but Aerostar won’t spy on you). Their manufacturing facility in Sioux Falls will help build platforms used by NASA, Google, and the U.S. Department of Defense. I joined the ribbon cutting for this new facility that will achieve dynamic missions from communications, data relay, surveillance, intelligence, and more.

BIG Update

President Biden is pushing more progressive policies to reform the Supreme Court. It’s unfortunate the Court continues to be a tool for political maneuvering. We must protect the integrity of the Court.

I introduced legislation to prevent liberal proposals to expand the Court by keeping the Supreme Court at nine Justices. Packing the Supreme Court would turn the Court into a political football that changes with every presidential administration. This would be detrimental to our government. My legislation has nearly 150 cosponsors, and I hope the House considers my legislation soon to protect the Court.

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Things from twitter we didn’t need to read about..

He’s wearing boat shoes and white dockers and is ~maybe~ 24 and she’s wearing an American flag in her 40s.

The heart wants what it wants!

— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) July 19, 2024

Looks like Federal Law Enforcement snagged another US Capitol insurrectionist from South Dakota. From KELOland:

A Sioux Falls woman has been charged for her participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol in Washington D.C., according to the U.S. District Court.

Amy Rebekah Willis was among the rioters inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, court documents said. “Willis and the other rioters in the Crypt portion of the Capitol surged forward breaching the USCP police line and forcing the officers to retreat,” a court document said.

At one point, Willis physically resisted being removed from the building by law officers, according to court documents.

Read the entire story here.

While she’s current registered Republican, Amy wasn’t always so. In fact, at one time she used to be involved with the the South Dakota Constitution Party before Lora Hubbel broke it, as she explains in her goofball antivaxxer website at “unmaskthetruthsd.org”

Amy Willis served with the Constitution Party of SD during 2004-2009. She fought actively to preserve our freedoms and limit the government to the “chains of the Constitution”.Amy also is a Master Herbalist and certified Naturopath. She owns a small business in Sioux Falls and has been serving the community for nine years now. Amy and her husband have three grown sons, and one daughter still living at home. Seeing the usurpation of our Freedoms in 2020, Amy and other patriots decided to take Action. Amy’s love for Freedom, Truth, and our Constitution is compelling.

Read that here.

When she talks about fighting to preserve our freedoms, I somehow don’t think people were looking for her to go fight the capitol police..

From the Attorney General, read the Lonna Carroll indictment:

Lonna Carroll Indictment by Pat Powers on Scribd

Attorney General Jackley Announces Indictment For $1.8 million Employee Theft from Child Protection Services

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a former state Department of Social Services employee has been indicted for stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from the department’s Child Protection Services.

Lonna Carroll, 68, of Algona, IA is charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft. She was arrested Wednesday in Iowa and is awaiting extradition to South Dakota. Bond has been set at $50,000.

Carroll is accused of taking the money while an employee for the department’s Child Protection Services program, where she had control of the funds. The thefts occurred between 2010 and 2023.

 “Citizens expect government agencies and employees to safeguard public funds.  Based upon our investigation, criminal charges for grand theft have been filed, and an arrest has been made,” said Attorney General Jackley. “I appreciate the cooperation of Governor Noem and the Department of Social Services throughout this investigation.”

Attorney General Jackley said the thefts were discovered by the Department of Social Services. The state Division of Criminal Investigation and Legislative Audit led the investigation.

An initial court appearance for Carroll has not yet been scheduled in Hughes County Circuit Court in Pierre. The maximum sentence for Count One is 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. The maximum sentence for Count Two is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. She is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

-30-

Early rumors are that it involves a state employee and a lot of money..  This is not confirmed, so stay tuned.

Rounds, Hagerty, Colleagues Demand Answers on DOJ’s Lack of Prosecutions of Non-Citizens Registering to Vote

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) recently joined his colleagues Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Representative Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) in demanding answers from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) efforts to enforce the laws that protect the integrity of U.S. elections.

“As you are likely aware, the United States has experienced a record number of border encounters since President Biden took office—nearly 10 million—many of whom have been released into, or evaded apprehension while entering, the U.S.,” wrote the members. “We’re writing to inquire regarding the efforts undertaken by your Department to enforce the law that prohibits non-citizens from voting in our elections.”

“Plainly, there are opportunities for and instances of non-citizen voter registration, and so the critical question is whether the laws against doing so are being enforced by your Department,” continued the members. “There appear to have been few prosecutions by your Department under these laws, and there is no indication that you have been pursuing cases in places like Georgia and Ohio where aliens have been caught registering or voting.”

Rounds, Hagerty and Biggs were joined on this letter by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and JD Vance (R-Ohio), along with 41 members of the House of Representatives.

The members are requesting information on the number of non-citizens attempting to vote who have been charged, tried or convicted, as well as additional information on the DOJ’s protocols regarding non-citizens attempting to vote.

Read the full letter HERE or below.

+++

Dear Attorney General Garland:

As you are likely aware, the United States has experienced a record number of border encounters since President Biden took office—nearly 10 million—many of whom have been released into, or evaded apprehension while entering, the U.S. We’re writing to inquire regarding the efforts undertaken by your Department to enforce the law that prohibits non-citizens from voting in our elections.

Several recent reports have described, upon examination by state officials, instances of non-citizens registering to vote in elections or being prompted to do so. For example, the Governor of South Carolina recently called for an investigation after it was revealed that voter registration forms were allegedly given to non-citizens. Similarly, in 2022, the Georgia Secretary of State found that more than 1,600 non-citizens had attempted to register to vote in Georgia. And Ohio’s Secretary of State called for increased verification efforts by county election officials after non-citizens were found on state voter rolls.

These reports are especially concerning given the record-shattering number of illegal aliens entering the United States and certain state and local laws that permit aliens to vote in local elections.

As you are aware, federal law prohibits aliens from voting or registering to vote in federal elections. For example, 18 U.S.C. § 611 prohibits aliens from voting in federal elections. Additionally, 52 U.S.C. § 20511 makes it unlawful to fraudulently register or vote. And 18 U.S.C. § 911 prohibits making a false claim of U.S. citizenship.

Plainly, there are opportunities for and instances of non-citizen voter registration, and so the critical question is whether the laws against doing so are being enforced by your Department. There appear to have been few prosecutions by your Department under these laws, and there is no indication that you have been pursuing cases in places like Georgia and Ohio where aliens have been caught registering or voting. Nor is there any indication that you have taken steps to obtain information from the Department of Homeland Security regarding aliens who admit that they have registered or voted in U.S. elections when completing the N-400, “Application for Naturalization.” Part 9 of that form specifically asks applicants that question.

Furthermore, there is no evidence that your U.S. Attorneys are using information obtained from jury lists in their cases to investigate aliens who may have violated federal law. It is our understanding that potential jurors for federal cases are obtained from state voter registration lists in many federal districts. This begs the question: Has an individual ever been excused from federal jury duty because they are not a U.S. citizen, and if so, does the Department address the fact that they are a registered voter?

To promote public trust regarding the steps your Department has taken to prosecute non-citizens for illegally voting or registering to vote in federal elections, please provide the following information no later than July 19, 2024:

1. Please provide the number of aliens who have been charged, tried, or convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 611 since January 20, 2021, including the status of each case.

2. Please provide the number of aliens who been charged, tried, or convicted under 52 U.S.C. § 20511 since January 20, 2021, including the status of each case.

3. Please provide the number of aliens who have been prosecuted under 18 U.S.C. § 911 since 2021, including the status of each case.

4. Please provide the number of referrals received from other government officials or the public in reference to the statutes cited in questions 1 through 3.

5. How does the Department of Justice investigate allegations received of non-citizen voting or voter registration?

6. What affirmative steps has the Department of Justice taken to detect, prevent, and deter illegal aliens and other non-citizens from registering and voting in federal elections?

7. What affirmative steps has the Department taken to obtain relevant information from the Department of Homeland Security on aliens who have registered or voted in elections?

8. What steps have been taken by U.S. Attorneys and the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division, which is responsible for prosecuting election crimes and assisting U.S. Attorneys in prosecuting election crimes, to obtain jury-related information that indicates aliens have unlawfully registered to vote?

9. As the 2024 election nears, what steps will the Department take to detect, investigate, and prosecute non-citizens who violate 18 U.S.C. § 911, 52 U.S.C. § 20511, or 18 U.S.C. § 611 by voting or registering to vote in the 2024 election?

Thank you for your attention to this matter and we look forward to your prompt reply.

###

The Anti-Abortion movement is in the news again as it comes out on KELOland that after all their bluster and phone banking, they only managed to get 21 people to withdraw their signatures from the ballot:

In the four months since a new South Dakota law took effect allowing registered voters to withdraw their signatures from initiated ballot measures, there hasn’t been a rush to use it.

The South Dakota Secretary of State office has received 21 of those requests through mid-July, according to state elections division director Rachel Soulek.

She said all 21 requests came from registered voters who had signed their names to petitions for an initiated amendment that would place abortion rights in the South Dakota Constitution.

After the petitions were sample-tested to determine whether they met the legal minimum of 35,017 valid signatures, Secretary of State Monae Johnson validated the measure to be on the 2024 general election ballot.

Read that entire story here.

After all their fuss and folderol, and at one time being labeled a ‘scam’ by the Secretary of State, they only managed to withdraw 21 signatures?

How much did they spend on those 21 signatures? It’s hard to say.

The “Petition Integrity PAC” Chaired by Life Defense Fund co-chair Jon Hansen claims it had $546.72 in donated “telephones” from the Life Defense Fund. It doesn’t mention anything about the other costs, such as people to run them, etc., but they are clearly operating hand-in-hand with the Defense Fund, which after similarly failing to get people to not sign the petitions, failed at this effort as well.

Petition Integrity Report by Pat Powers on Scribd

If we’re only looking at the expenditures by this PAC (which probably should have been a ballot question committee), expenses clocked in at $26.03 per signature withdrawn. That’s kind of a high burn rate.

But, don’t forget that this petition signature withdrawal effort also cost State Representative Hansen the dignity of his office, since he had a disclosed conflict of interest in bringing the legislation to allow the attempt to pull signatures while being on the Life Defense Fund’s payroll.

Those are high expenses on both accounts for only managing 21 signatures.

Unable to prevent signatures from being put on the ballot. Unable to pull signatures off the ballot. Two strikes in quick succession.

If I were to guess, I would wager we’re going to see strike three from the Life Defense Fund in November.