In further evidence of Kristi Noem’s lack of good judgment, South Dakota Searchlight finds that the majority of offenders who received the Governor’s unusual, unreviewed commutations have gotten into new trouble with the law:
…with 19 of the commutations she signed, Noem did something no governor had done in roughly two decades since former Gov. Bill Janklow: issue them to inmates who lacked an endorsement from the board.
Since then, the 12 people who have been accused of new crimes have largely faced drug charges. Seven of the charges were felonies.
Meanwhile, five of the eight people whose commutations from Noem were screened by the board have since been released. Of those five, one has been charged with a new crime.
…Her office issued a press release in 2022 about the seven commutations she’d issued on Christmas Eve. South Dakota Searchlight soon learned she’d gone around the board, that victims’ families were not notified, and that one person who was released early had been denied a recommendation by the board.
…Noem talked about the commutations in her State of the State address in January 2024, saying the people “qualified” for a commutation, and that “we will continue to evaluate these second-chance opportunities for those who can prove they deserve them” [John Hult, “More Than Half the Inmates Noem Released Early Without Parole Board Review Have Been Recharged,” South Dakota Searchlight, 2026.05.16].
At least 33 January 6th insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump have been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes since January 6, 2021, according to new analysis by CREW. Four pardoned insurrectionists have allegedly reoffended since receiving their pardons. Several have argued that the pardon should cover unrelated criminal convictions, and in one case last month, Trump explicitly re-pardoned one insurrectionist for his unrelated weapons charges.
…When individuals are pardoned, there is no traditional monitoring or parole process, which heightens public safety risks. One victim of a pardoned insurrectionist spoke to CBS News in February about her fears, saying “I’m just afraid that I’m going to come home from work one night and he’s going to be right there” [Linnaea Honl-Stuenkel, Sophia Barriga Hernandez, and Alyssa Meiman, “At Least 33 Pardoned Insurrectionists Face Other Criminal Charges—But Many Are Now Going Free,” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 2025.12.18].
We can at least be glad Noem is no longer in charge of Homeland Security; she made South Dakota less secure by turning criminals loose on her own unreviewed whim, only to see a majority of her favored hoodlums make more trouble.
Well Trump does have people pay for their crime. Noem is just following. She should join Cheaters anonymous and maybe Trump could follow her. Her cross dressing husband completes the wonderful family. An American success story for America’s 250th. Cheers to everyone. Isn’t Maga the best?
On a related note, recall that the MAGA’s hate faction led by Stephen Miller has claimed it is going after the “worst or the worse” dangerous criminals. https://www.dhs.gov/wow . So, according the MAGA hate faction if you want to commit a a serious crime and evade punishment by the USA, simply renounce your citizenship, remain in the US without adequate documentation and then commit all the serious killing, raping, and robbery you want. You need not run to the border to escape prosecution, since if you are caught, you are now one of the “worst of the worse” and ICE will buy you a plane ticket to somewhere outside the jurisdiction of the US so you can avoid prosecution. Better yet, if you then can just sneak back into the US and do more “worst of the worse” criming until you are again caught or give yourself up, you will be presented with another free plane ticket out and again escape prosecution. That seems as good as, or maybe even better if you like to travel for free, than a commuted sentence or pardon by Noem or Trump.
Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Do you suppose Miller, MAGA, and the current Adminstration might just be lying about the “worst of the worse” to distract from the fact they are going after our friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, et al, who are not hurting anyone, but are simply working among us and minding their own business?
bearcreekbat, when Miller, MAGA, and Trump speak about the “worst of the worst”, they’re lying, because they have to have SOME excuse to indulge in their favorite activity: cruelty.
Eve, I agree. The lie appears to be designed to confuse people that otherwise would never tolerate such obnoxious and cruel treatment of the vast majority of targeted people for something as trivial and absurd as not having some paper documentation to justify their existence.