CCK: Hargens to challenge seating of Rep. Roger Hunt
Read it all here.State Represenatative Dale Hargens (D-22), last night on South Dakota
Focus, was asked how he intends to deal with Representative Roger Hunt (R-10)
who blatantly broke campaign finance laws this past election by hiding the
identity of an individual who spent $750,000 in a failed attempt to influence
the voters of South Dakota.
Hargens' response:I might as well let the cat out of the bag right now.
My intention is to challenge the fact of whether or not he can be seated or not as a state representative.
We do have somebody who has taken an oath. Not once but twice. Once as an attorney and once as a state representative to uphold the constitution of South Dakota and the laws of the state of South Dakota. And he thumbs his nose at the legislature and the voters of South Dakota. There's something wrong with that.
Comments
Does he have the balls to come out and say that.
Second, there is no doubt that Hunt can be seated, a majority of legislators can seat anyone they want.
If Hargens' argument is that the law was broken then shouldn't Hunt have the opportunity in court to prove his case?
Or, at the least, shouldn't Hunt be able to plead his case to the ethics committee of the House, then be seated or not seated?
When will all the Sutton fans come to the resuce of Roger Hunt saying that since no criminal charges have been oficially filed he should be seated?
Depends on whose ox is being gored doesn't it.
What about subverting the will of the people argument, forwarded of late by the tobacco tax proponents? Why should the legislature be able to not seat someone after being duly elected?
Did Hunt committ these crimes while on legislative time with legislative pages helping him?
Roger Hunt is a State Representative not a State Senator.
I've been a loyal GOP my entire life - but power has certainly gone to our heads. Saying "What about Dan Sutton?" doesn't make what Roger Hunt did right. It's time to take our party back - not from the right wing conservatives, but from the law breaking, power abusing members of our party who have been in power too long!
Now it seems like Roger Hunt and his apologistas are doing the same darn thing! What's next? A vast left wing conspiracy? The Daschle mafia?
The Republican Party I remember voting for used to be the party of individual responsibility - not one that uses Clintonian wordsmithing to defend Roger Hunt!
Dennis Wiese, a Democrat, accused Democrat Sutton of wrong doing. Sutton's lawyer said not so.
I think in both cases politics are not playing into the accusations. We will find out in the future if Hunt is charged and convicted and if Sutton is seated.
If Sutton was in the process of being charged then they should look at him too, but his actions may or may not be criminal (Long has not said) and his are to a far lesser degree than Hunt's attempt to defraud the voters and commit election fraud.
As for Van Norman's DWI, it does not involve the legislature.
Should there be a hearing on both Sutton and Hunt?
After 10 months, it does not appear that Sutton will face criminal charges, and if he did, there is zero likelihood he would be convicted with no witnesses and just his word against the accuser (or the accuser's father who wasn't there).
Hunt may face criminal charges, but most likely he will not. It looks like the AG may ask for a declaratory judgment interpreting the law (civil). Hunt and Long will live with the court's determination (they have no choice), and if Long's interpretation is right then Hunt will disclose the donors. A legitimate dispute over statutory interpretation should not deprive Hunt of his seat. However, if the court determines that his interpretation is frivolous and untenable, the House should have a hearing at that point to determine what to do about election fraud(and the State Bar may as well).
DWI place innocent men, women and children at risk of serious injury and death.
For all of you wanting to take power or whatever from the right wing you ought to first focus on taking back arrogance from legislators who drink and drive.
Get and clue and prioritize your values. I guess some people think campaign contributions mean more than a DWI.
Also, the campaign contributions did not involve the legisalture either.
He was wrong about the redistricting lawsuit and other issues. His legal opinion will not always win the day in court.
When a Powerful Republican like Roger Hunt does it.
It is truly sad what the GOP extremists have done to our once great party.
I'm sure you were trying to be funny, but I understand. Most of the things I have said at 4 in the morning seemed funny at the time too.