IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
South Dakota media sounds off on US Senate candidate Mike Rounds and the EB5 citizenship-for-sale scandal:
Governor Mike Rounds recruits EB5 investor
Yankton Press & Dakotan: EB-5: Why did it take this long?
Watertown Public Opinion: What did they know and when did they know it?
Aberdeen American News: Our view: GOP fails on EB-5.
Rapid City Journal: Does EB-5 probe stop at Benda?
Pierre Capital Journal: South Dakota needs more transparency on EB-5 scandal.
KSOO 1140: Republicans Silent at Attempt to Subpoena Testimony on EB-5
Pierre Capital Journal: It’s not a search for dirt. It’s a search for clean.
Watertown Public Opinion: EB5 hasn’t generated much attention or heat.
Aberdeen American News: Our Voice: EB5 brings more posturing than answers
Aberdeen American News: Our Voice: EB5 obscures the real questions
Excerpts below:
Yankton Press & Dakotan
Editorial: EB-5: Why did it this take so long?
Monday, August 4th, 2014
“[The state’s revelations add] a new, frustrating mystery to this complex tale of corruption and suicide.”
“… more questions need to be answered, one way or another…”
“… the state doesn’t seem overly curious to wonder why it came out now and what else – if anything had yet to be revealed.”
“South Dakotans deserve the whole story.”
Watertown Public Opinion
Editorial: What did they know and when did they know it?
Monday, August 4th, 2014
“Despite Jackley’s report there are still unanswered questions about the scandal and who all may have been involved.”
“The question yet to be asked, at least publicly, was how Benda could have done what he did without raising eyebrows until former Gov. Mike Rounds left office — he was the one who appointed Benda to his positions…”
“So in the spirit of 40 years ago and taking liberty with paraphrasing, when it comes to EB-5, “Who knew what and when did they know it?”
“It just makes us wonder if there’s more people involved in the EB-5 scandal than we know.”
Aberdeen American News
Our Voice: GOP fails on EB-5 scandal
Wednesday, August 6th, 2014
“The EB-5 controversy has been a black mark on South Dakota and state leadership. It is a complex issue and investigation, made more cumbersome by the tangled personal and/or political relationships of former Gov. and Senate candidate Mike Rounds, Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Jackley and Benda.”
“We can’t believe that state legislators know all there is to know about how the state used EB-5, and who could have stopped its misuse.
“What’s more galling is that those lawmakers don’t think you need to know anything more.
“For shame.”
Rapid City Journal:
EDITORIAL: Does EB-5 probe stop at Benda?
Thursday, August 7, 2014
“The legislative panel should subpoena members of both the Rounds and Daugaard administrations who were involved in the EB-5 visas-for-investment program so the public can hear for themselves what was going on rather than be told what happened by parties who may have an interest in controlling the flow of information.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s more to the story than Benda’s alleged misconduct. But when the Legislature’s committee — which is tasked with finding out what went on in the EB-5 program and report its findings to the public — goes into executive session and refuses to hear from anyone other than the attorney general, it invites speculation that we’re not being told all the facts.
“If there’s nothing to hide, why keep secrets?”
Pierre Capital Journal
South Dakota needs more transparency on EB-5 scandal
Thursday, August 7, 2014
“What we don’t know is how closely Richard Benda, the former secretary of tourism and state development for South Dakota, worked with figures such as former governor Mike Rounds, under whom he served for several years. And we don’t know if he was working alone when he decided to divert economic development money or if others knew and approved of his actions…
“…Yet very likely the information exists to answer that question, too; it is simply being kept from the people.”
Aberdeen American News
Our Voice: EB5 obscures the real questions
Sunday, September 14th, 2014
“The South Dakota Legislature has the authority to ask these questions. And should. The voting, taxpaying public has a right to know.
This is not a D or R problem. This is a South Dakota problem, and it’s time to see some leadership, preferably before November.”