UPDATE 12/10/2020: The paragraph from the Argus Leader article Minnehaha County auditor says she’s not sure she can trust county’s voting system that was fact checked in the original Bluestem post below has been corrected:
The video was posted by "Midwest Swamp Watch," a YouTube channel that promises to "monitor the activities of the MN, SD and National Political Swamp Creatures." It features a short introduction from Rick Weible, an election denier who served as an adviser to Johnson’s campaign, though Weible says she cut ties with him in November of 2022 and he’s since become critical of her actions as Secretary of State.
At the end of the article:
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify Rick Weible’s statements regarding Monae Johnson.
{End update.}
On Friday, Trevor Mitchell reported Minnehaha County auditor says she’s not sure she can trust county’s voting system for the Argus Leader.
Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson had a contentious meeting Monday with the vendors of the county's election software, in which she claimed the company wasn't properly training her on the equipment, repeatedly criticized South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson and revealed near the end of the meeting that a group of at least two dozen of Anderson's supporters had been listening in to the hour-long call — unbeknownst to the rest of the participants.
Anderson said during the meeting she's looking for extensive checks both before and after the 2024 election and has said that she’s still not sure she can trust the city’s voting systems. . . .
So far so good.
The next paragraphs are first in the list of a Facebook rant about the article by one of those supporters. Mitchell continues:
Anderson said during the meeting she's looking for extensive checks both before and after the 2024 election and has said that she’s still not sure she can trust the city’s voting systems.
The video was posted by "Midwest Swamp Watch," a YouTube channel that promises to "monitor the activities of the MN, SD and National Political Swamp Creatures." It features a short introduction from Rick Weible, an election denier who supported Johnson before turning on her shortly before the 2022 election and calling her campaign "a complete fraud."
Midwest Swamp Watch keeper Rick Weible objected to that reading the article at the link (the Argus Leader's online republishing of Stu Whitney's Former small-town MN mayor is behind the rise of electoral activism in SD. He's just getting started, originally at the South Dakota News Watch).
Apparently, Mitchell stopped reading the SD News Watch article after this paragraph:
“We found out her campaign was a complete fraud,” said Weible, who runs a cyber security business called D3Defense in Brookings. “She didn't have a campaign speech, so I had to write one for her. She didn't have room reservations. She had no T-shirts, no signs, no buttons. She wasn't even totally sure of the rules of the convention.”
But after an ad embedded in the Argus Leader copy, Whitney continued:
. . .Gretchen Weible became Johnson’s campaign manager and Rick served as adviser. They found plenty of far-right delegates receptive to the premise that Barnett had been slow to respond to concerns about online voter registration, drop boxes and machine tabulators in South Dakota.
Boosted by the South Dakota Freedom Caucus, Johnson defeated Barnett with 61% of the vote – a shocking rebuke for an incumbent – and vowed to make election security her top priority.
When Johnson cruised past Democratic challenger Tom Cool in the November General Election, Rick and Gretchen Weible stood behind her as she gave her victory speech, confident that at least part of their vision to overhaul election laws in South Dakota was taking shape. . . .
Weibles reaction to that misreadingformed point number one on his Facebook post:
Weible is correct about the misreading.
But that's not to say Johnson didn't soon part reject the Weibles--tarning Rick's contempt.
though a May 25, 2023 Bluestem post Rick Weible includes SD Secretary of State Monae Johnson as swamp dweller documented when South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson parted company with the Weibles. I posted:
Here's the section of the "master class" when Weible speaks about his creation of Monae Johnson's SD Republican convention endorsement victory over incumbent Steve Barnett and her severing ties with him and his wife--who was campaign manager. Weible says that SOS-elect Monae Johnson sent the Weibles packing on November 23, 2022 . . .
There's the video of his lament, which begins around the 6:19 point:
Perhaps Mitchell could correct and clarify his copy.
Here's the Swamp Watch video Mitchell mentions at the beginning of the latest Argus Leader article.
Photo: Rick Weible addressed the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners in Elk River on July 12,2022. He said the group he founded, “Midwest Swamp Watch,” has talked with 25 Minnesota counties and claimed their voting equipment is either insecure or improperly upgraded. Creator: Elizabeth Flores | Credit: Star Tribune. From ‘FEELS LIKE IT’S A WHACK-A-MOLE’ Minnesota election officials on misinformation front lines.
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