In Response American Bridge Released a Video Highlighting Her Unscrupulous Fundraising Ties
In case you missed it, yesterday the Argus Leader reported that embattled South Dakota Governor and far-right GOP Presidential hopeful Kristi Noem failed to vet her donors and accepted contributions exceeding the legal limit from fringe individuals – like convicted killer Charles Pilkinton.
She also received maximum contributions from “a Florida man named Steve Alembik, a known right-wing extremist with a history of using racially and ethnically disparaging language to attack Democrats and progressives.” Prominent right-wing politicians like Alembik’s own Governor Ron DeSantis have returned donations from Alembik because of his extremist rhetoric.
The Argus Leader reported that Noem’s campaign manager Joe Desilets doubled down on the embarrassing failure to vet their donors – a routine campaign practice – saying: “the governor doesn’t know either of those donors and we don’t vet or background every contributor.” They are not returning the donations. This continues a pattern of incompetence from Noem and her administration. This scandal comes on the heels of a week of legislative swings and misses, bigoted remarks from her Chief of Staff, and failed attempts to use her office for personal gain resulting in members of her own party demanding additional oversight.
Argus Leader: Gov. Noem campaign contributions made by right-wing extremist, killer
By: Joe Sneve | February 7, 2022
Key Points:
- “Gov. Kristi Noem received more than $11 million in campaign contributions from more than 50,000 donors in 2021. And the record-setting amount of fundraising for a gubernatorial candidate in the state also resulted in at least a couple of eyebrow-raising supporters ending up on the list of individual donors.”
- “Noem’s latest finance report found multiple donations totaling $10,000 from Louisiana man Charles Pilkinton, who was convicted of homicide in 2010 after admitting to shooting a man in the head two years earlier and pleading down from second-degree murder charges.”
- “The 2021 year-end filing also shows $4,000 in contributions from a Florida man named Steve Alembik, a known right-wing extremist with a history of using racially and ethnically disparaging language to attack Democrats and progressives. Alembik, for instance, once publicly called President Barack Obama a “Muslim n—–.”
- “Kristi for Governor campaign manager Joe Desilets told the Argus Leader on Monday the governor is not personally acquainted with either Pilkinton or Alembik and was unaware of their backgrounds prior to media inquiries. “The governor doesn’t know either of those donors and we don’t vet or background every contributor,” he said.
- “While Alembik is a frequent donor to Republicans, he often puts his financial support behind controversial candidates … his inflammatory language has even prompted Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to disavow the Boca Raton man and any future contributions from him. Desilets, though, said Noem won’t be doing that.”
Read full story here.
Published: Feb 8, 2022 | Last Modified: Feb 14, 2022