The felony trial is set to begin February 1, 2015.
Twelve felonies to be exact. Class 6 felonies, punishable by up to 2 years in prison and $4,000 fine (per charge). She was arrested the day after the Republican primary in 2014. Attorney General Jackley said the crimes were “serious, deliberate and must be addressed in order to preserve the integrity of our elections.”
OK, so what are the charges??
She signed oaths that South Dakotans who had signed those petitions had done so in her presence. The “oaths” she signed were the statements on the petitions that she had witnessed the signatures. She allegedly was not “in the room” when the actual signatures were affixed to the petitions. On the dates in question, she was actually on a missions trip in the Philippines (perhaps also a crime in the minds of some).
If she WASN”T in the room… is that REALLY worthy of twelve felony charges, or is it legal (or political) over-reach?
Let me tell you that these “serious and deliberate” “crimes” are COMMONPLACE in South Dakota politics. During the frenzy of political seasons, MANY (and I do mean MANY) South Dakota politicians circulate petitions and sign as circulators when they are not “in the room”. At Lincoln Day dinners across the state, Republicans routinely send their petitions around the room. They do not personally witness each signature, but sign the “oath” that they did. I would venture to say that even our Attorney General may be guilty of this practice. PLEASE, Marty, say it isn’t so… not even ONE?
The Speaker of the House notarized his own petitions, which is a clear violation of law. No prosecution. No consequence. There are other violations of law regarding political petitions and campaigns. Most of them are simply ignored. So why the big fuss over the Bosworth petitions?
I have met Annette Bosworth. I have spent time with her and her family. She does not strike me as a felon. She is a very caring and gentle person. Perfect?? I doubt it, but I am proud to call her my friend.
You can make up your own mind, but I think the Attorney General, the people of South Dakota and the “integrity of our elections” would be well served by dismissing the charges. At the very least, offering a generous plea bargain that does not include a felony.
It’s time to move on, and give Annette her life back!
*** editors note: The attorney general is nominated by the convention, so petitions may not be circulated. A more appropriate question might be, “Mr. Jackley, are you willing to prosecute the many State Legislators and other elected officials who are “guilty” of this offense?”
***Gordon Howie is an author and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
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I was sitting next to her (at a meeting in Brookings) when she told us how she was in Washington D.C. When she got a call from Facebook for a meeting. She cancelled her appointment with President Obama to take that meeting.
She actually told us that. And that’s when I figured out that only an idiot would believe anything she says. If she told me the sky is blue I would get a second opinion.
Just so you feel better, Anne… The sky IS blue. :*)
Thank you, Jil Jennewein, for speaking your mind.
Annette is innocent until proven guilty. That’s why we have trials. That said, politically she’s about as close to falling off the right-wing crazy cliff as a person can get. There are all kinds of Christians out there.
Its sad to see a conservatives who supposedly believes in the rule of law and the constitution slide in to the area of moral relativism. so disappointing. you guys better check your souls before you follow someone you dont really know into the abyss. remember that these 12 charges are the tip of the iceberg, they found more they could charge her with, and if they really wanted there is more to find after that. Anyways, heed my warning. People have made their decision about Annette and if you guys do anything but distance yourselves from her it will disenfranchise you from your supporters. Ive given you guys my time, my money, my support, but it stops here.
I would find your comments more credible if you were bold enough to use your name rather than posting anonymously. Even so, the courtesy of a response… Suggesting that twelve felony charges is significant over-reach is not moral relativism or disregard for the rule of law. The point you seem to be missing here is that what I am objecting to is selective enforcement and political retribution. This case should be settled with a reasonable penalty (which, in this case certainly does not warrant a felony) and the law should apply to everyone or it should be changed.
Fine! I will post my name! “Its sad to see a conservatives who supposedly believes in the rule of law and the constitution slide in to the area of moral relativism. so disappointing. you guys better check your souls before you follow someone you dont really know into the abyss. ” I agree!
Thanks for your thoughts Jil. I think an open, candid and civil debate is a healthy thing. Happy New Year!!
im not even a resident of s Dakota, but I followed Annette’s campaign with interest, and am considering moving there, your state needs more conservative voices. Also don’t think much of your attorney general, what’s wrong with you folks?
You’ll notice we made a small edit in your comments… Deleted the comments about S. Thanks for commenting.
John: There is nothing “wrong” with us “folks”. We embrace all true conservative people here. There is a problem, as in all state and federal houses, with the way our preferences are ignored by the leaders. No state in the union is immune from that.
It’s a great state; I moved here in 1997 and would never live anywhere else…unless of course God calls me to heaven.
Ms. Bosworth’s sins seem relatively minor compared to the slime pit of EB5 and the obfuscations by our newest “senator” and his buddy the Gov. Positively repulsive. God is keeping score Mr. Rounds…and all the money in the world will not change the outcome.
What about our President and the politicians like Hillary Clinton? Why should the good doctor be punished while our government does not take oaths seriously? Go Dr.
Isn’t it ironic the Establishment goes after a hard working mother who dared to run for office. Drop all stupid charges and apologize to her.
Remember, the South Dakota Attorney General does not do apologies. The Lykken family is still waiting after all the Att. General’s gestapo did in trying to intimidate an 80 year old widow into confessing to a murder that only happened in the imagination of the Attroney General’s Office.
We need a recall petition.
Funny that oath swearing and promises under penalty of perjury can be so easily brushed aside if the allegations of malfeasance hit someone in conservative ranks, ‘because their heart was in the right place.’ Bill Clinton was just trying to protect his family when he lied to the American people about Monica, too, remember? I wonder how many here gave him a good old boy pass for good intentions on that one? I certainly didn’t. Clandestine cloak and dagger tactics are generally reserved for opponents who pose a salient political threat. If the establishment was threatened by a 6% candidate, that would comprise the bigger story. More often, terribly run campaigns, muddled messaging, or a lack of interpersonal charisma are better explanations for political failure than far-flung conspiracy. When all four coincide, the result is a bonfire of the vanities.
One more point. So…Just throwing out a question…what did we do with Todd Schlekeway’s sin of notarizing petitions where HE did not witness the signatures? I believe he got a fine that the Republican party paid….that could have been trumped to a felony also…but instead of prosecuting him the party gave him a nod to run for State House. Check out this article. But note that is says, ‘”NOTARY violations are very, very common.’ said SOS Chris Nelson”. It goes on to say that the only reason why Schlekeway and others were charged is because THEY DISENFRANCHISED the voter. But the opposite happened with Annette….the AG disenfranchised HER voters by serving her papers AFTER the election. If he knew he she had an invalid petition and was going to cast a felony on her (which would have taken away her Senate office had she won) …why didn’t he do it sooner so her voters could vote for someone else? That is disenfranchisement to me! Here is the article (and I downloaded it “just in case”). http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/six-charged-in-ballot-probe/article_b7e7f9ab-53c3-58ea-ab4f-a0a037d4f881.html
AND what about Brian Gosch’s sin of notarizing his own petitions. I emailed the National notary Assn about Brian’s actions and this is what they said, ”
— On Tue, 7/10/12, Lori Farmer wrote:
From: Lori Farmer
Subject: RE: notarize your own petition?
To: “Lora Hubbel”
Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 8:14 PM
Hello Lora,
Thank you for your inquiry. If you are named, or have interest in the transaction you cannot notarize. I pulled the information below from the Secretary of State’s website.
§ 18–1–12.2. Party to transaction as notary public prohibited.
It is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person to affix a signature to a document as a notary public when the person has also signed the document as a party to the transaction proceeding. Thank you, {lori farmer}
I even sent this email to Gant just so he would not get in trouble letting Gosch off the hook. I guess you don’t get in trouble if you are part of the cartel….SEE WHY I RAN AGAINST THESE GUYS????
The devil will try and tear down this woman of God down but He will see her through this. I pray protection over Annette and her family in Jesus name. May God’s power and favor wrap around her and God’s glory shine through her during this journey.
These are the same arguments being used to minimize President Obama’s flouting of the Constitution. We cannot expect the President, or any other leader frequently vilified by conservative critics, to adhere to the rule of law, if we are not willing to do the same.
My assessment/opinion/understanding of the Annette isssue: Politically she is naïve. She thinks we all know the back-story and we don’t. For example she developed a program of Health Records and Sanford hired her for her efforts. Annette didn’t realize it fit well with their pro-ObamaCare scheme. She quit when she found out they were selling “her” system to insurance companies and even Raven Industries. The thought that now private companies can buy your sensitive health records made Annette quit Sanford. She probably didn’t fully understand the (should-be-illegal) non-compete clause and they took after her. My understanding of how Sanford has gotten rich is purely by the legislative process… being able to legally steal from poor people when Janklow abolished the usury laws and then by bankrupting sick people when Pierre cozied up to him with favorable healthcare laws..in other words he got rich by monopolistic capitalism, not by American Capitalism. So naturally Sanford looked to his cronies in Pierre to get help. This is my opinion…with all of Rounds millions he “planted” opposition when he knew he was going to be challenged for the Senate seat. He needed candidates to split the conservatives lest they got too many votes. I see Annette and other candidates as “draws” away from a formidable “Round’s Opponent”…whether those candidates knew it or not.
But she is crazy right? Well, she DID dare to say to a fully tattooed clinician who was diagnosing her that his bragging about his genital piercings was inappropriate…for that she was labeled narcissistic …which they reported to us as her being crazy. And wait till you hear the REST of her story.
I have known Dr. Annette Bosworth for about 10 years and admire her independent and pro-patient style…she certainly has been a disruptive influence to the corporate health gangs…and a threat to this state’s political hacks…but this attorney general’s attempt to convict her of the “crimes” of signing some petitions is totally astonishing…
This has nothing to do about witnessing signatures, this is about taking her medical license away because she does not kiss the ring of the plutocracy. I would like to know how much money this has cost the taxpayers on such non-sense. I see a slander and harassment lawsuit if this keeps up. Leave the good Dr. alone. Would you be doing this if this was a male establishment Republican? Are you going to go after Joel Arrends too? He was her Lawyer that told her to sign the petitions.