The state GOP has continued with the flamethrower on Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s new career as a lobbyist. This week the party sent a press release announcing that Herseth Sandlin had officially registered to lobby. The release was from Executive Director Tony Post, who recently came to town from Minnesota.
Democratic Chairman Ben Nesselhuf fired back today with a release that was actually pretty funny. Here it is:
Sioux Falls, SD (August 5, 2011) – The South Dakota Democratic Party urged State GOP party leaders to give their new out-of-state executive director a break for overlooking Senator John Thune’s well-known lobbying history in his criticism of Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
“We understand that SD GOP Executive Director Tony Post is new to South Dakota and that he may not know that John Thune ran his own Washington lobbying firm bearing his name in between his terms in office,” Nesselhuf said following Post’s criticisms. “From one state party Chairman to another, I hope my friend, Chairman Tim Rave, will give Tony Post a second chance despite Post’s clear oversight.”
In May of 2011, the South Dakota GOP hired Minnesota resident Tony Post to replace Lucas Lentsch as Executive Director of the state Party. Post’s criticism of Stephanie Herseth Sandlin clearly ignores the lobbying history of Senator John Thune, who earned a six-figure salary as the sole lobbyist for “The Thune Group” between his terms in office. Thune lobbied for special-interests that he ended up pushing in the Senate, raising nationwide controversy concerning deep conflicts of interest.