Release – FACT CHECK: Jackley Rhetoric Contradicts Evidence and South Dakota Statute

Pat Powers

FACT CHECK: Jackley Rhetoric Contradicts Evidence and South Dakota Statute

Jackley claims he had “zero involvement” but Office of Risk Management says he was “briefed” and “allowed to offer input”

In response to questions raised about Marty Jackley’s stalling of a victim’s court-ordered restitution to aid his campaign for governor, the Attorney General claimed he was “not party to this suit, had absolutely no authority over the settlement, and had zero involvement in the settlement terms or negotiation.” (emphasis added)

However, Craig Ambach, director of the state’s Office of Risk Management, told the Argus Leader: “I directed these negotiations, pursuant to SDCL 3-22-11. That statute also requires that the attorney general be consulted.  Pursuant to that statute, the attorney general was occasionally briefed as to the negotiations and the settlement agreement, and was allowed to offer input.” (emphasis added)

Moreover, the settlement resulted from Jackley’s decision to deny Kaiser’s grievance. In a February 2012 letter from Marty Jackley to Kaiser’s lawyer, Marty Jackley writes: “I have had the opportunity to review and consider your correspondence… Based on my review of these materials and further investigation, I am denying your client’s grievance.” It was this decision that prompted the lawsuit in which a jury awarded Kaiser a $1.5 million taxpayer-funded settlement.

“The facts speak for themselves,” said Justin Brasell, Kristi for Governor Campaign Manager. “Marty Jackley’s poor judgement led to a lawsuit that cost the taxpayers more than $1.5 million. He knew it was wrong and tried to silence the victim for his own political gain. The cover up is as bad as the crime.”

41 thoughts on “Release – FACT CHECK: Jackley Rhetoric Contradicts Evidence and South Dakota Statute”

    1. LOL — Perfect comment. Jackley and Glodt both have personalized dictionaries.

    2. Is noem (a four term congresswoman) in such a tight race that this is what she wants to talk about?

      I hoped we’d talk about the issues.

  3. I went to Disney World with my kids. I briefed them on my plans for when the vacation was happening and where we would stay while there. They gave me their input. (See how this works?)

    1. If your kids claimed they had “zero involvement” in your vacation planning, they lied.

      1. They were told where we would go and what we would do. The choice was made for them, they were simply informed of it. They had no meaningful involvement whatsoever.

        1. If you told them where you planned to go and what you planned to do, and they claimed they had “zero involvement” in your planning, they lied.

          But you said they also gave you their input. If that’s true, they had even greater involvement, and if it isn’t, your analogy fails.

          1. What a joke. In any other context you would agree that children, even if they voice their opinion, have no meaningful involvement in planning a vacation. You’re only arguing with me because it’s in your candidate’s best interest to disagree with me. A lack of intellectual honesty is what I hate most about politics.

            1. You’re as dishonest as Jackley and Glodt. If you involve your children in your vacation planning, then they’re involved in your vacation planning.

                  1. All I got from this is that Jackley is a child, which makes sense. Considering every time he visits a new town he starts his line of speech with “You raised me, (Insert name of town here).”

                    1. You are the problem with politics in America today.

                      1) Deny any valid point your opponent makes.

                      2) Misrepresent what your opponent says.

                      3) Outrigh lie if you can get away with it.

  4. This is what our republican primary for governor is about. No discussion of vision for education, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, or moving our state forward? A loosely linked blame for a lawsuit that the other candidate would have done the exact same thing on I’m pretty sure. Man, politics seems to have less to do with government each passing day.

    1. Noem is responsible for everything Her campaign manager says and does. Justin Brasell has ruined her credibility as a person of integrity.

      1. Pox on both their houses

        I agree we have more important things to talk about….the thing is this keeps this story in the news..which hurts Marty more

        1. If Noem is responsible for everything Justin Brasell does, is Jackley responsible for everything Jason Glodt does? Is Jackley responsible for the Marsy’s Law debacle?

          1. 1) Candidates are responsible for everything their campaign managers say on the Candidate’s behalf.

            2) Candidates are not responsible for what the people they employ did prior to working on the campaign.

            3) You already knew that but wanted to muddy the water. You must work for or be supporting Noem. Intentional misrepresentation is her preferred method of communication.

      2. Agreed.

        Remember how awesome George Mickelson was? Honesty, integrity, kindness.

        She is just about winning another elected office.

          1. She didn’t term limit herself. She took advantage of an opportunity to climb a little higher up the ladder

  5. The conditions are ripening for a massive upset in the general election this fall. Hate to say it, people love Billie Sutton and he’s raised a truck full of $.

    1. AHAHAHAHAHA THANK YOU. This post needed some good humor. Good luck to the man. Gonna be hard when people are leaving the Democratic party in droves. 1/6 of our counties already have more independent than Democrat voters.

  6. I’m starting to think this kentucky Brazell fellow is in the tank for Sutton.

    1. Brasell is a DC establishment hack. If Noem wins, he’ll be her minder, making sure her policies are DC approved.

  7. Anonymous 10:12 expresses my sentiment exactly.

    1) Parsing “having input but no authority” and whether it is “involvement of substance” is a distinction without a difference. In the end, Risk Management has all the power just like any other insurance company. As taxpayer’s, we wouldn’t want it any other way. And, if Noem becomes Governor, she certainly wouldn’t want it any other way.

    2) I think understanding one’s vision on “education, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, or moving our state forward” should be front and center these last two weeks. The first Governor candidate who puts this on the front burner wins.

    1. I just finished watching the video of Laura Zylstra Kaiser’s 31-minute press conference in Sioux Falls yesterday (5/24). Regardless of how the situation makes Marty Jackley appear, it makes the State of South Dakota look pretty bad.

      She’s articulate and she’s angry. She got a federal judge and jury to agree with her to such an extent that the state didn’t appeal the verdict decided in her favor.

      1. Michael, I watched it all this morning as well. She was very articulate and I came away a bit stunned that Jackley didn’t nip this in the bud from the start. But that was long before the metoo movement. This all just makes me question Marty’s decision making process.

        1. #HeKnew.

          Facts don’t care about your feelings.
          “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”
          -Abraham Lincoln.

          Thanks for the press release video tip.

          What a week it’s been.

    1. What stops Noem from investing in herself to make herself look like a favorite in this poll? Bogus.

  9. They have talked about the issues for months — on TV commercials, in debates, in their press releases with fancy logos. So to say they are not means you’re not listening.

    This issue was bound to come up and why wouldn’t it? Marty was in the middle of the decision making process on where she was stationed and in denying her grievance and a jury said he was wrong. And that cost the taxpayers $1.5 Million. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I think the most offensive thing to me was that he has asked her to sign a non-disparagement agreement — as an elected political leader you don’t get those and shouldn’t ask.

  10. Wazzupp,

    I hate to burst your bubble that all this talk about who is better between Noem and Jackley is still an argument between Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers.

    It doesn’t change the reality Billie Sutton is a capable high school quarterback not seriously considered to be an NFL quarterback.

  11. I thought we might get debate analysis on both debates last night. No one has opinions? I missed the house debate. Wish it was available online.

    Would like to know if bloggers had opinion on Gov debate also.

    1. Marty’s people still with Marty
      Kristi’s people still with Kristi
      Undecided waiting for substance and nuc war heads.

  12. Can we take a minute to look at both candidates track records?!? Even though they are involved in different spectrums of the political process I’m sure that people can see the value of their reputations based on what they have done in the professional careers. Mr. Jackley’s track record is flawless and and his record in the court room is perfect. He has upheld his position as Attorney General to the highest level. In my option, you MUST know the laws and how they apply to to be able to run our great state. Kristi wants to flaunt her Congressional track record and yet almost every piece of legislation she has supported died in committe or I’m the House. I don’t want someone who just says what they think people want to hear and plays dirty politics as my governor. Mr. Jackley is a genuinely good person and that’s why he doesn’t play her negative games. I would hope the good people of our great state can see that. K

  13. Flawless track record? Are you kidding? What about the Laura Zylstra stuff? I wouldn’t call that flawless. I’d call that a mess that he was directly involved in.

    1. Flawless record?

      1.5 Retaliation verdict by a jury

      Marijuana case Flandreau

      Bosworth waste of time, money and resources to get her record cleared

      EB5 guy get probation…..but got the flag stealer! who got about the same punishment

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