Last updated on 2017-01-26
Representative Mathew Wollmann (R-8/Madison) resigned from the South Dakota House today over his admitted sexual misconduct with Legislative interns over the last two years.
In another case of not knowing how to say what needs to be said and then shut up, the disgraced legislator couldn’t simply apologize and leave. Instead, he expanded what could have been a 100-word letter into a 400-word fluffball that concludes with his declaration of intent to run for Legislature again.
Here is the text of Wollmann’s letter of resignation, submitted to Speaker of the House G. Mark Mickelson and made public this morning. I bold the necessary text and italicize the phrases that a guy whose sexual promiscuity got him into this jam ought not say:
Speaker G. Mark Mickelson,
I want to take this moment to write to you personally and share with you some important thoughts and news. I cannot express enough how fortunate it has been to serve South Dakota in the House of Representatives these past two years. It was also a magnificent honor to be re-elected this past November. I have built friendships with countless individuals from across the state, and have had the privilege to truly see the greatest South Dakota has to offer, and what we can improve on.
But no matter what successes a man or woman achieves, it is their failures that they remember the most. Human beings unlike any other animal on this planet are constantly reminded of their shortcomings, and pay for them two-fold. I do not condone what I have done. I have embarrassed this institution that I care so deeply for, my party, my family, my friends, and myself.
This past weekend I have put much thought into what these coming weeks would entail. I know that we as a legislative body have again many important decisions to make. Countless hours of consideration and caution will go into these determinations. I also know that although I feel extraordinarily better for coming forward and telling what is the absolute truth of the matter, that the trust of the people isn’t with me one-hundred percent as I wish it was, and that my thoughts and energy are not directed immediately to those important issues. I am without the focus I desire.
It is with a heavy heart, that I have decided that in the best interests of this body, this institution, and my constituents, that effective immediately Monday January 23rd 2017, I resign as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives.
I have nothing but the greatest respect for those that I have grown so close to these past two years, and even in these early days of the 92nd legislative session. Those that read this should know that it is my wrongdoing that has put this institution in a sour light. Those responsible for me have displayed nothing but the highest honor for this establishment.
Again, I cannot express deeply enough how regretful I am of my actions.I hope to someday regain your trust and to return to this honorable body a man of greater knowledge.
God bless to all of those who read this.
Sincerely,
Mathew Wollmann [letter of resignation, 2017.01.23]
I’m not going to spend all day revising Wollmann’s puffy verbage, simply because it takes me ten seconds to figure out all he really needed to say:
I screwed up. I screwed subordinates. That’s wrong. I’m sorry. I resign.
Everything else is superfluous at best, tone-deaf and self-serving at worst. Is the moment a legislator declares (he declares, so let’s drop any talk about “allegations”) he is ethically unfit to serve in public office is really the moment for him to ask us to elect him to public office again someday?
Wollmann says he has “nothing but the greatest respect” for those he has “grown close to” over the last two years… but the greatest respect, as preached by his fellow conservative, “family values” Republicans, would have meant not having sex with any of those people, not to mention more than one of those people, until he married them. I don’t have to wade that far into the theocracy to conclude that the “greatest respect” for the Legislature means not violating the Legislature’s rules of conduct by seeking sex from multiple members of the least empowered class of employees in the Legislature.
In response, Speaker Mickelson, Majority Leader Lee Qualm, and Minority Leader Spencer Hawley issued this press release:
State Representative Mathew Wollman tendered his resignation from the South Dakota House of Representatives today. He decided this was best for him, his fiancé, his family and the young ladies involved.
The South Dakota State Legislature, like any other organization, is comprised of human beings. Consequently, we will experience human failure and imperfection. Every legislator has an obligation to refrain from behavior unbecoming to the Legislature and inconsistent with maintaining the public’s trust.
We will be meeting over the coming weeks with legislators, current interns and legislative staff to discuss any improvements we can make in the legislator and employee training concerning appropriate standards of conduct and the proper reporting of potential violations of these standards of conduct as well as any recommended updates to our legislative rules.
To all our past, current and future interns:
Your service is appreciated. Our doors, phones and emails are always open for any thoughts or concerns you may have [South Dakota House Leadership, press release, posted by KSFY, 2017.01.23].
This press release reminds us that Wollmann’s conduct involved multiple interns (all female, apparently). It implies that Wollmann really did violate the Joint Rules listed in the letter inviting testimony before the House Select Committee named to investigate Wollmann.
Wollmann’s resignation renders the House Select Committee’s initial mission moot: Wollmann is not a legislator, so he’s no longer subject to their rules or punishment. That may actually be a productive mooting, since now it clears the decks for the Legislature to investigate the bigger question of who among Legislative leaders knew what when about Wollmann’s misconduct. Senate Pro-Tem Brock Greenfield (R-2/Clark) has said he reported concerns about Wollmann’s behavior to House Speaker Dean Wink in 2015. An intern has told the press that Wollmann’s sexual misconduct was common knowledge during his two-year term. If House leaders knew about Wollmann’s sexual misconduct and took no action during 2015 or 2016, they have done more to damage public trust in the Legislature by closing their eyes than Wollmann did by unzipping his pants.
Republican legacy-EB5…tidemann obstructs justice, rounds wins senate seat, Regents blame it on somebody else??
-MCEC murders…Phelps prosecution as fall guy and Daugaard, Jackley and Schopp stand around and, following rounds’ EB5 lead, fail to do anything except scratch their heads and protect republicans.
that was easy.
republicans take advantage of youthful pages and interns and everybody looks the other way. Nepotism runs riot, Thune and Daugaard take-over spearfish canyon, and gee, what’s gonna happen if they ignore IM 22 Ethics initiative?
Sounds like a repeat of that young Mr. Sutton from a few years back.
Powers over at the Dump Site thinks that the $6,000 salary a legislator makes a year isn’t worth the fight for Wollman
The best for the young ladies would have been for this whole situation to have never happened.
Republicans have made this state broke. We are not only broke in the checkbook, we are broke morally. The rackets this bunch of racketeers runs is like a bunch of meth dealers with no one watching them. Land grabs in Spearfish Canyon, corrupt deals for a hole in the ground in Wasta, this dumbass borehole in Philip, all crooked. Now we have the sex thing going on with this manwhore. I’ll bet his fiance is proud as hell of this standard bearer for the republican party. I hope she understands that she is just like the rest of us here in South Dakota, standing in line waiting to be next. Here it is folks, the republican party in all its glory. Crooked, lying, thieving, sexual predators that protect each other like a pack of wolves. Poor Benda, got himself murdered trying to expose this bunch.
Boys need to keep their pants up and to try bein’ good boys.
The irony isn’t lost that right now, the legislators are arguing about IM22 and that it should be repealed.
Yes, there needs to be lots of questions and solid answers as to who knew what when, and why they turned a blind eye. Like you said, Cory, they did much more to damage the public trust with their inaction.
I have a feeling that Wollmann was strong armed to resign, in an effort to “make this whole thing go away”. Thus, all investigations would stop and no interns or anyone else will open their mouths about other hanky panky involving other legislators.
“But no matter what successes a man or woman achieves, it is their failures that they remember the most. Human beings unlike any other animal on this planet are constantly reminded of their shortcomings, and pay for them two-fold.”
In the arrogance of a young man he thinks he is being persecuted rather than simply accepting responsibility for stupid behavior.
For me personally it was this election when I realized how stupid politics is and void of respect when Wollman was elected over an educated, accomplished man at the end of his successful career still wanting to give back, cause one had the right letter, and one had the wrong letter. But that said, so many of you “on the left” are equally guilty, or almost. So darn close it don’t even matter cause you think you’re different, but you’re not really. Us versus them tiny minds.
Who did Mr. Wollmann beat? I am all in favor of favoring the older fellow for his experience, but let us not fall into reverse age-ism here, for that would be a form of discrimination likely against the ethics commission and legislatures codes of conduct.
I am not convinced that Mr Wollmann force himself on these Interns at all. I think what you have is consensual sexual activities and it became public. Now you have a person in a position above the other and now others are crying foul. Mr Wollmann admitted he probably shouldn’t have had sex with the interns, but he didn’t admit he used is position to get it. It was assumed by others he did. (That is equally wrong). Now that Mr Wollmann has resigned there are more questions than answers.
I am not excusing Mr Wollmann, but I am not excusing those who would commit a witch hunt over very little wrong doing. If Mr Wollmann is right, he deserved no more than a reprimand. If he was wrong, then he deserves expulsion.
I heard that young Ms. Wismer admit that the IM #22 was sloppily written and a giant mess. It is sad the out of state interests that foisted the unconstitutional abomination upon the good citizens of South Dakota. They were hoodwinkied by dark money. And I heard that Mr. Jackley said it was unconstitutional even as he was defending it.
Rep. Wollman, Republican from Madison, not only smeared the Republicans, he smeared everybody with the name Wollman, including that former Democratic Governor and outstanding State Senator! When people hear the name Wollman will they confuse it with that superb Justice of the United States Court of Appeals?
He made some bad choices and resigned. Lets move on and get back to business.
happy camper 2017-01-23 at 18:37
For me personally it was this election when I realized how stupid politics is and void of respect when Wollman was elected over an educated, accomplished man at the end of his successful career still wanting to give back, cause one had the right letter, and one had the wrong letter.
I agree with your comments. I campaigned for Wollman’s democratic opponent, who happens to be a personal friend of mine. It makes absolutely no sense to me that this state elects candidates, not for their qualifications and experience, but for which letter is listed alongside their names on the ballot.
I am not surprised that Wollman resigned. I think he was told by GOP leadership that that was his only option. I AM surprised that he hopes to one day run again for public office in SD. It doesn’t seem to me that Wollman is sincere in his remorse for his actions, but rather he feels the voting public will forgive and forget and just say, oh well, he was young and dumb. Boys will be boys. That may very well be the case. After all, this IS South Dakota and he IS a republican.
Who on mother earth is this candidate, deserving as he may have been, who was defeated by young Mr. Wollmann?
Was it the interestingly named Mr. Parsley?
Roger, Pat’s blog post on the resignation is another disgusting attempt to minimize Wollmann’s wrongdoing and blame the media for reporting the truth. It’s not that $6,000 a year isn’t worth the trouble; it’s that Wollmann’s misconduct means he doesn’t deserve that money or the esteemed title of Legislator.
Try as you might Grudz, the only out of state money in this state is the money your Republican friends swim in the swamp with. Again American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) & Americans for Prosperity are 2 of many of the Koch Brothers & other out of state money groups that the South Dakota Republican Party Loves. That’s the money that the Republican’s worship and it is all Out of State money. Sad!
Dana, on strong-arming: if I were the Majority Leader, I’d have been strong-arming Wollmann the moment I learned of his philandering. First report, I’d have called him into the office and said, “The nookie stops now, or you quit.” I’d have told him the Republican Party has a bench three batters deep, and if promiscuous sex is more important to him than the reputation of the Legislature and of his party, the Governor and I can find all sorts of decent folks who’d like to pin an R to their chests and take his place.
I’d have also written the 5-sentence, 12-word resignation letter I composed above and told him, “Sign here. Not one more word.”
And if Wollmann didn’t listen, I’d have made sure no sitting legislator donated to his campaign.
Memo to Wollmann defenders: the GOP is abandoning Wollmann. On KSFY, former Speaker Dean Wink finally speaks:
Wink is confirming my interpretation, not Boswell’s, that Wollmann’s behavior was “completely inappropriate and out of bounds for all the obvious reasons.” Wink is saying Wollmann not only boinked interns but lied to leadership about it. Again, that doesn’t sound like the “greatest respect” for the institution and the people serving with him.
But that also sounds like Dana’s thesis: force Wollmann out, brand him a liar, protect the leadership from further trouble.
Wollmann and Les Heinemann beat Democrats Jason Unger and Kory Rawstern last November. Rookie Republican Jordan Youngberg unseated veteran legislator Scott Parsley. I’d say Parsley would the perfect choice to replace Wollmann: experienced legislator, able to leap into the job right now, with no training, to represent District 8 effectively. Unger and Rawstern, while not as experienced, would also be acceptable choices.
Again Cory how old was Mr Wollmann and how old were these interns. Mr Wollmann also denied his involvement at the start of his interview, but then confessed to it. But never once did he say he used his position. Did he lie to Mr Wink obviously. You still haven’t proven he used his position to bed these interns. Was this letter from an intern that was involved with Mr Wollmann and affective attempting to make a complaint? Are You saying that? Did Mr Wollmann understand he was walking a fine line (inappropriate) dating interns yes, but as he said they were all around the same age. Does it make it a Scandal, I still don’t think so, unless you can prove he used his position to get sexual favors. What you have here is a 20s something making mistakes as a 20s something will do. I will grant you that Mr Wollmann took on a job of great responsibility and he could have done much better. I just don’t think you can call this a scandal until you have the complaint and a victim.
BTW I am not defending Wollmann I am saying you have no case of a scandal. What you have here is a 20s something young man that made a mistake young men and women do.
It sounds to me like Wollmann did the following:
1) made a mistake
2) lied about it
3) made another mistake
4) lied about it
5) got called out for lying about it
6) finally admitted it
7) was going to have to publicly confront the accusations and possibly ensnarl Republican leadership in his web of misconduct
8) Was persuaded to resign by the circumstances or other interested parties
Seems like a scandal to me.
Darin two keys here to if it is a scandal Who where these others? Did Wollmann use his position to garner these favors? That’s what needs to be found out before it can be called a scandal. IMO
shades of bill clinton
Are you reading what Speaker Wink said, Mike? Wink says nothing about age. Wink agrees with me that Wollmann’s behavior was inappropriate and out of bounds. It has caused scandal. It is a scandal for a legislator to have sexual contact with legislative interns. Can’t you just admit that you’re wrong on this issue and that Wollmann disgraced the Legislature?
I did but does it surprise me he lied to Mr Wink no. Did he just agree with Mr Wink sure he did. The question still remains did he use his position to bed these woman. 20s something do inappropriate things all the time. Now are you calling this a scandal because it was made public or are you looking for this definition “a state of affairs regarded as wrong or reprehensible and causing general public outrage or anger: ” If you specifically are using this definition sure, but wasn’t that brought into the public eye from outside sources other than the interns involved? But it isn’t necessarily this. “an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage” the legal part that is. If he in fact used his positon then you would have the full definition. You have all the parts. Sexual Harassment (SH) would make what Mr Wollmann did legally wrong. That’s where there is no question. You want to walk around scandal or get to the heart of it (SH) would leave no doubt.
If I am going to expel Mr Wollmann I want something hard and legal to justify it. (SH) would fulfill that requirement. And you have covered all the bases.
Mr Wollman disgraced himself. Mr Wink covered the rest of the Legislature.
Now if you can prove someone other than Mr Wink knew about this and didn’t do something about it, then you have Corruption and a disgrace on all the Legislature.
I will say you have more work to do. then I will admit I am wrong or not.
BTW I commend you on how you’re making your case. It is well thought out.
How many different ways and times can Bowell say exactly the same thing?
Mike Boswell said: “Now if you can prove someone other than Mr Wink knew about this and didn’t do something about it, then you have Corruption and a disgrace on all the Legislature.”
Now we’re getting somewhere. . . .
Hopefully Wollmann has considered the likelihood of negative ads labeling him the lying pervert that he obviously is – were he to run again for public office. Very seriously, he’s clearly a lying pervert.
I think I know Dean Wink enough to believe he probably intended to help Wollmann understand that his behavior is becoming more and more talked about and provable as he keeps on, but with no real physical proof in hand at the time, giving a fellow Republican benefit of the doubt has always been the greatest temptation. Loyalty can sometimes be a vehicle for sin, even in Pierre.
Roger until heck freezes over. I am that stubborn. If I am determining someone’s job I want it based on something tangible.
Hear no evil; see no evil – SDGOP
where do you get off saying that Adam.
Anywhere I can hold my phone in my hand, Mike.
Reading the comments on the news stories and social media, there is so much more of this out there. Lee knows there’s more, but says nothing other than to threaten Stace with outing his friend. Now would be the time to get it all out on the table and chart a new course.
Come on legislators, clean up your act. You are embarrassing. Again.
Is scandal even a thing? Is there a law against scandal? Does it carry a penalty if found guilty of a scandal? Is there even such a charge as scandal?
I agree with you, Cory, on your strong arming comments. But THAT would have happened in a normal world – in a normal Pierre, where they don’t look the other way when there is wrong doing (EB 5, GEARUp, etc) The “correct” strong arming that you described SHOULD have happened. It didn’t, as we are learning that alot of people knew about this and did nothing.
They act like cats in the cat box covering the poo AFTER the fact. Modus Operandi in Pierre.
Providing alcohol those under 21 is a bit scandalous…
More is going to be revealed, while what this man did isn’t technically illegal, turning a blind eye to things like this lead to those thinking they can get away with worse.
lets put a different spin on this. If the next so called scandal involves a 21 year old male intern that has sex with a 24 old female legislator, does it come out the same way? Or even better yet a Republican House member has sex with a Democratic Senator, then what. Or even better yet, the Senator and the House member are the same sex. WOW the possibilities. Remember this is SD politics.
So who else is having sex with interns? I agree, Jana, if Lee Schoenbeck knows more he should tell up and who is Stace’s friend? The Grab Our Pussy (GOP) party better start behavin’. Come on, South Dakota is a tiny state, these legislators better start confessing or this story will go on and on.
They will bully transgenders into suicide with hate bills but bedding interns is okay. Some values, gotta give it to the GOP, they sure fit the definition of HYPOCRITE!
Good thing Pierre is keeping us all moral by discussing a bill on porn. Unbelievable hypocrites. Jesus christ.
Mike B: “20s something do inappropriate things all the time.”
That sounds an awful like an excuse, but regardless if this is your belief then I would assume you would find 20 somethings to be unfit to serve in the legislature. We don’t need our elected leaders running around doing “inappropriate things all the time”.
Also, you seem to be misunderstanding this issue. The real scandal here isn’t that Wollmann slept with a couple of interns. The scandal is that he was caught – on camera – lying about it. It has also came out that he lied about it to house leadership in the past. Thus, he is now a proven liar and not to be trusted.
Sleeping with interns violates Legislative Joint Rule 1B-1, and precedent indicates he would not have been expelled but most likely would simply have been reprimanded. The bigger issue is that he ran around lying about it, and it started to create problems for the GOP. Stace Nelson obviously knew about it months ago and decided to take action – and even Stace used the term “preying” to describe the action.
Stace has stated he was holding other related documents until this week – so chances are there is even more to this story, but with Wollman’s resignation and the GOP’s desire to protect the party, it is now very possible we won’t be hearing any more of the details.
Call it what you want… but it sounds pretty scandalous to me. The citizens deserve better representation.
Folks, let me be crystal clear. I categorically reject Lee Schoenbeck’s lies and innuendos. I shared a house with two legislators 2012-2013, Brock Greenfield & Lance Russell, with our family members staying there for weeks on end. Happy to provide a sworn affidavit to any body that wishes to review this matter officially explicitly declaring I have never observed, or heard of (till Schoenbek’s calumus accounts), of any member of the House having any type of inappropriate contact with any intern or page.
Since Lee Schoenbeck was a member of the House the last two years, how about he do the same thing and submit that document to the disciplinary hearing regarding his knowledge of the lies and misconduct of his protege.
Insert line 5: other than the information that was disclosed from the last two years in the House when Lee Schoenbeck served there.
he scandal is that he was caught – on camera – lying about it. It has also came out that he lied about it to house leadership in the past.
OMG! Impeach Clinto….er….Wollman. Fer gawds sake he lied to Congress. The sky is falling. Wait-Wollman is a wingnut. Nevermind.
Is Wollmann’s fiance keeping her intern job? Is she still his fiance?
Why did the TARs keep Wollmann away from that group if he was only having consensual relations with people over 21? That part doesn’t make any sense. What else aren’t we being told?
Ror, I can’t tell you if she’s still interning for the SDGOP, since she has stripped most of the public content from her Facebook page. She and Mat still list themselves on FB as engaged to each other.
Dana, permit me to amend my roadmap for Legislative leadership. When I am speaker, I will tell all members of every age that under no circumstances are they to boink interns or pages. I will repeat to interns the admonition an intern told me he got from a legislator a few years ago: don’t f— the pages!. The reputation of the Legislature and the party is at stake—there’s no time or ethical room for Boswell’s 20-somethings to be 20-somethings. This isn’t Delta Tau Chi; this is the People’s House, the Temple of Democracy. The Legislature should be as sacred as any church.
Dicta—indeed, the smell is overwhelming.
http://sdlegislature.gov/Legislative_Session/Bills/Bill.aspx?Bill=SCR4&Session=2017
Mr. Wollmann used the words I, me, my, mine or myself 29 times in six paragraphs. He might be just a bit too self-consumed to be a “public servant”.
According to that Soo Falls paper, one intern he slept with is his fiance. So are we still talking 2 or is it now 3 interns?
Here, here, Cory!!! It should be that way already…….and why isn’t it?
He lied and then he came out and told the truth and the whole truth. That’s more than Bill Clinton did. I really wonder if he was a Democrat you would all be so upset. I am thinking no, because I seen the Democratic reaction to Bill Clinton in the 90s. Yes Mr Wollmann made some mistakes. People at his age make mistakes. He will have to live with this one all his life as it became very public. 20 somethigns have made mistakes far worse than Mr Wollmann and have not had been so public. Well that’s politics now isn’t it. Again prove he used his position to bed these interns and you have the legal teeth to call this scandal. but then again you won’t agree. If you want change is in this state you need to quit shouting Scandal or Corruption all the time (crying wolf) and prove to a point that you can sue or jail someone and win. Otherwise your words become no more than a breeze.
I’ll be curious as to how this plays out. But if it was widely known, and complaints about it were stopped in their tracks? The party of family values gave this tacit approval.
Anything done wrong while a legislator should still be investigated as if he is a legislator. If criminal conduct happened he should not be let go of responsibility just because he resigned. This is to easy of a way to just walk away from disobeying the rules. If he needs to be censored, then he needs to have this on his record so he does not just slide back in like Janklow did.
“Again prove he used his position to bed these interns and you have the legal teeth to call this scandal.”
Wait, is the presumption now that a person having sex with his/her subordinates does NOT have an inherent conflict of interest? Because I am 99% certain most organizations don’t treat it that way, Mike.
Boswell: “He lied and then he came out and told the truth and the whole truth. That’s more than Bill Clinton did.”
Ah… CDS (Clinton Derangement Syndrome) at work again I see. Considering Clinton hasn’t been in office for 16 years it might be time to let it go. Move on. Free yourself from the shackles and find a more modern and relevant target. There is probably a 12 step program you could sign up for or something.
Just so we are clear, this has nothing to do with Clinton. But as long as you brought it up, you’ll recall the fallout from his transgressions was impeachment. You can decide for yourself if that is more or less punishment than someone voluntarily resigning from state office who otherwise (most likely) would have received no more than a stern talking to about his behavior and a public reprimand.
Boswell: “Yes Mr Wollmann made some mistakes. People at his age make mistakes.”
Yes you keep reminding us of that. But that doesn’t make it ok nor does it absolve him of responsibility. The issue isn’t that he made a mistake – it is that he apparently made multiple mistakes and then lied about his multiple mistakes multiple times. You can continue making excuses for him, but at the end of the day he has only himself to blame for his behavior.
At least there are some in his own party who are willing to hold him accountable. I may not always agree with Stace Nelson’s political views, but I can’t deny he is a man of integrity. If behavior is unacceptable in Stace’s eyes I have to believe it is for good reason because in this case it is clear Stace knows a lot more detail about the situation.
Boswell: “Again prove he used his position to bed these interns and you have the legal teeth to call this scandal.”
You don’t get to tell others what is or is not a scandal nor do you get to define it based upon your personal criteria. Merriam-Webster has done a pretty good job defining the term and this fits well.
Dicta Most organizations won’t do anything about it unless there’s a complaint. (a victim)
Craig and Clinton is a perfect example of Liberal hypocrisy.
Anyone who ever thought there is/was party of family values is/was believing in such tremendous amounts of BS that it’s shameful.
Boswell struggles to manufacture liberal hypocrisy more than he contributes to the issue at hand.
Many, if not most, company policies explicitly prohibit such relationships, Mike. And again, you are talking about punitive actions and not whether the behavior presents a conflict that could arise to grounds for dismissal. The presumption is NOT in favor of the supervisor, but you are demanding that presumption right now when you want us to prove to you that he used his position to coax this relationship. As a matter of fact, most government/military organizations have strict policies regarding subordinate relationships because they:
1. may be the product of subtle or not-so-subtle coercion,
2. may lead to favoritism for the subordinate,
3. may undermine other employees’ morale,
4. may undermine the organization’s reputation for fairness,
5. may lead to retaliation suits,
6. may embarrass the entity in public and
7. may, in other ways, impair the effective, non-biased functioning of the organization.
He doesn’t get the presumption you want.
Ok Boswell – where is the hypocrisy? Are you stating that liberals didn’t consider what Clinton did to be a scandal? Because it clearly was. By all means show us evidence about the “liberal hypocrisy”.
Are you saying the liberals didn’t think Clinton should be punished? Because I didn’t get that impression. Granted many didn’t think his affair was worthy of being tossed out of office, but I didn’t see any liberals saying that Wollmann should be forced out either.
Not sure exactly what your point is, but the fact you have to go back to Bill Clinton for actions that transpired 20 years ago seems to indicate you are having to reach quite a bit to find a way to turn this back towards liberals.
Wouldn’t it just be easier to say that the guy messed up and he probably saved a lot of time and energy by resigning. Is that so hard? Why make excuses for him and try to make it into a left vs. right issue when it doesn’t need to be?
I don’t have any questions for Boswell at this time, only charactor assassinations.
“Yes Mr Wollmann made some mistakes. People at his age make mistakes.”
Boswell’s whole statement revolving around that is pert near incontionable. Mike, try to develop some integrity. You might be a little late in life to start on that, but you what they say – better late than never.
Boswell continues to add nothing to this discussion, he keeps repeating himself.
His latest comments are probably not much different than his original comment of this post.
What I want to know is if Wollmann gets to keep all of the per diem expense money the legislature pays him up front? When he resigned he didn’t earn it. Is he going to pay it back?
Democrats and Liberals show hypocrisy Clinton did far worse and you probably supported him.
I will add where was your outcry when the Obama Administration liked to you about Benghazi being about a video. Including Hillary Clinton lying. Now where is your outrage about professionalism. Oh it was an election year and you need Obama to be re-elected.
The party of empathy proves it’s a hypocrite again.
Boswell needs to learn what the word hypocrite means, and re-evaluate use of his words. He’s very likely one of those 6,000 year old Earthers – prolly also thinks lowering taxes increases tax revenue – prolly also can’t understand why we people developed a system of government.
Wait a minute Boswell, you have been harping on the fact that if the sexual contact was consensual that Wollmann did nothing wrong and there was no scandal. But you are not applying the same standard to Bill Clinton.
For the record, I no more approved of Bill Clinton’s conduct than I approve of Wollmann’s conduct. I didn’t think Bill Clinton’s misconduct should result in impeachment and I’m not sure that Wollmann’s conduct should have resulted in expulsion, although we don’t know all the facts in the Wollmann matter. But your party started the holier than thou impeachment effort against Clinton while your leaders cheated on their spouses and molested kids. You are merely reaping the crop that your party sowed long ago.
But go ahead and keep making excuses. Trump thinks he won the popular vote and you don’t think this was a scandal. Stick to your Alternative Facts.
And nice touch on bringing up Benghazi. If you are losing an argument on one topic, bring up another one as quick as you can.
Mike from Iowa, got a link on that article about Wollmann and fiancée?
Wollmann denied engaging in a romantic relationship with his fiancee Emily Dreeszen until March of 2016, more than a year after she’d completed her term as a high school page in the Legislature. He said the two had met as children.
Is he confusing page with intern?
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/18/house-calls-investigation-lawmaker-who-had-sex-intern/96729510/
Pointing out the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party and Liberals in general. You hold no high ground to place a flag. I claim no morality for the Republican Party either. We are all Sinners and will die as Sinners.
Bosewell stands on the lowest ground possible – doesn’t understand the meaning of words. For every 1 hypocracy on the left, there are 40 on the right. You people are The Great Impresario of hypocracy.
We are all Sinners and will die as Sinners.
Speak fer yourself. I have no sins.
Mike Boswell, the House Select Committee today backed up everything I’ve said about Wollmann’s misconduct violating the Legislature’s rules of ethical conduct. So stand your excuses for Wollmann down right there. Read my post on that and on Stace Nelson’s appearance tomorrow a.m. on KELO Radio to advance the discussion of broader corruption:
https://dakotafreepress.com/2017/01/24/select-cmte-sex-with-interns-unethical-nelson-questions-gop-leaders-handling-of-wollmann/