---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Chad Haber <chadhaber@me.com>

Date: Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 9:33 AM

Subject: Re:  Why I Am Runnign forAttorney General of SD

 

My name is Chad Haber and I wanted to tell you myself why I’m running for Attorney General…and why I think it’s important to our state that I can count on your vote on November 4th.

 

My wife, Annette, and I are both fifth generation South Dakotans. We love this state and proudly raise our three boys here. We run businesses here, nurture lifelong friendships and actively serve in our church and community.

 

But as much as we love South Dakota, we all know it’s not perfect.

 

For example, do you ever get the feeling that the media and politicians here in South Dakota don’t give the full story? Transparency from the folks in Pierre has been missing in recent years. I am not the only South Dakotan that has noticed.

 

We really learned a lesson when Annette decided to run for Senate about a year ago. Talk about an eye-opener.

 

On the plus side, we criss-crossed the state and made so many wonderful new friends. As a doctor, Annette already had a front row seat to people’s struggles.  Yet running for a political office exposes an additional layer of what people go through. We heard countless stories from South Dakotans about how our government hurt the people or caused problems for them.

 

We also learned how the media doesn’t really want to rock the boat ... And how only part of these stories ever got told. They just tell the story that the slick politicians want them to.

Well, it seems like a few folks are ready to do what the media won’t do: start asking tough questions of South Dakota’s elected officials.

 

You may have noticed that there seem to be a lot of upstart political candidates this year in South Dakota, challenging the good-ol'-network up in Pierre who seem to take their power for granted. That ought to tell you something right there because putting your neck on the line and taking on the politicians is not what I call a fun walk in the park.

 

But taking on politicians who’ve gotten too big for their britches is really as American as it gets, isn’t it?

 

Being willing to stand up and speak truth to power is how our country was born. Our forefathers challenged kings and petty tyrants. They took on the system armed with faith and conviction, despite impossible odds. They risked the wrath of the powerful. Some took up arms, others ran secret printing presses and others just offered their votes and support.

 

Annette may have been one of the people who lost the primary race and she certainly ruffled a few feathers but I could not be more proud of her for showing the strength to take on the system.

 

South Dakota’s problems didn’t end on primary day, though. The same issues and struggles in our state were still there and suddenly I had an even keener awareness of them.

 

After the months of ups and downs on the campaign trail, I saw the bloated underbelly of our South Dakota political power machine.  Much like a fat sow that grew her gut too big to waddle, our South Dakota politics had pushed past a level that is functional. Some of the highest political offices in the state only had one candidate.

 

Take the office of Attorney General, one of the most powerful positions in the whole state, was running unopposed. The Attorney General doesn’t just manage lawyers and oversee law enforcement; they are in charge of consumer protection and licensing. They directly influence countless meetings in South Dakota, affecting our schools, our businesses and our communities through back-door discussions. The AG doesn’t just touch the lives of criminals and victims: every man, woman and child in South Dakota is impacted by the decisions of the office of the Attorney General every single day.

 

Yet after the election dust had settled, there was only one candidate on the ballot for Attorney General. Marty Jackley didn’t have a primary challenger. The Democrats simply could not find anyone to run against him.

 

Only one candidate for one of the most powerful positions in the state? That's just wrong on the face of it. Competition is good for everyone, isn’t it?

 

So, even after seeing for myself how tough the political game can be, I decided that somebody had to step up to the plate and give Marty Jackley a challenge.

 

But let me ask you again: do you want the truth?

 

You see, one of those lessons I learned is that if you really want the truth, the press and the media in South Dakota might not give it to you.

 

Ever get the feeling that they aren’t giving you whole story? Maybe that they are leaving some things out?

 

That’s just not fair, is it?

 

Cherry picking the facts doesn’t let you make up your own mind. Our media does not think we can sift through different opinions, weigh evidence and then come to our own conclusion. They must only tell enough to shape the conclusion they want you to "know."

 

Take EB-5.

 

Sure, you’ve heard a lot of noise about the EB-5 program, the Northern Beef Packers plant upstate in Aberdeen and about the mysterious death of Richard Benda. It seems like it may be a scandal. There’s a lot of talk batted back and forth but what’s the real story? It’s hard to cut through the clutter.

 

The truth is that Attorney General Marty Jackley isn’t telling South Dakota the truth about EB-5.

You see, Marty has been trying to make it seem like Richard Benda committed some big crime where he stole half a million dollars, and then just as Marty Jackley was about to file criminal charges against Benda, he killed himself.

 

Attorney General Jackley is in charge of the EB-5 investigation and the investigation into Richard Benda’s death…and he’s been telling the whole state that Benda was a criminal who stole $550,000.

Marty Jackley’s story about Richard Benda isn’t true but don’t take my word for it. The website Dakota Reporter has posted an interview with the lawyer for the Northern Beef Plant that shatters Marty Jackley’s story. Go listen to it and you’ll be as shocked as I was.

 

According to Northern Beef Packer's attorney Rory King, Richard Benda didn’t commit any crime at all with the $550,000. The money isn’t missing and wasn’t stolen. Instead it was a business deal that the company considered normal, fair and good for them.

 

I’m not asking you to trust me on this. When you have 15 minutes, go listen to the whole interview and see if you agree with me.

 

Why is Marty Jackley lying to the whole state of South Dakota about Richard Benda? And since he’s lying, should he be the one in charge of investigating Benda's death?

 

Of course, Marty Jackley knows that Richard Benda isn’t here to defend himself. He knows Benda can’t sue him. He knows that as the Attorney General, people are going to naturally believe him when he says something. And he knows that the rest of the media in South Dakota won’t challenge him on it, even those blogs that supposedly oppose Marty.

 

There’s a lot of dust being thrown up around the EB-5 issue but here’s the bottom line: Attorney General Marty Jackley isn’t being honest with South Dakota about Richard Benda.

 

Of course, this isn’t just a one time failure of truth for Marty Jackley. Since I announced I was running for Attorney General, I’ve talked about other stories that the politicians and media in South Dakota have buried, like the Mette Rape Case and the death of Brady Folkens. (If you don’t know those stories, you can read about the Mette Rape case here or watch a video about the death of Brady Folkens here.) These stories are just the very tip of the iceberg.

 

When you get past the carefully crafted press releases of the politicians and the lazy reporting of the media, you’ll start to see some of what I’ve learned in the last year: the biggest problem South Dakota has is the arrogant politicians in Pierre.

 

I’m the only alternative to Marty Jackley on the ballot in November. After what you hear on this audio sinks in, you’ll see why it’s so important that South Dakota has a choice.

 

Because if Marty Jackley is falsely accusing Richard Benda of a crime, what else is he lying about?

 

I need your help, support and votes.

 

To donate click here: https://haber.nationbuilder.com/donate

 

Yours,

Chad Haber

 

P.S. I’m not telling these stories because I’m running for Attorney General.

No, I’m running for Attorney General because of these stories.

And that’s the truth.