If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech‚ freedom from surveillance‚ and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here The post The EU’s Strict Online Speech Laws Are Set To Impact US Citizens in 2024 appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

'They Just Want to Feel Safe' - El Salvador Chooses Bukele in a Landslide

APIAP vs the Squad Heats Up

Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway torched Big Tech’s election interference campaign while testifying before Congress. In her opening testimony before the House Administration Committee Wednesday‚ Hemingway described some of the most palpable threats to American elections‚ including Big Tech censorship. She particularly called out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for his infamous “Zuckerbucks‚” or partisan funding of election offices. Just as Media Research Center has previously emphasized‚ Hemingway stressed that Big Tech censorship has become a menace to our democratic republic‚ particularly when social media and government collude to suppress speech. Hemingway explained that instead of an efficient and honest election system‚ “we now have lengthy election seasons that can last months prior to and even after Election Day.” She listed a lack of a secure chain of ballot custody‚ a partisan election administration‚ a biased press‚ a politicized justice system‚ and an effort to oust GOP candidate Donald Trump from the ballot and bankrupt him. But leftists also weaponize Big Tech‚ she emphasized. “Instead of a vibrant public square where Americans can debate issues and express their strongly held views‚ we have an elaborate Censorship Industrial Complex‚ where the government works hand-in-hand with tech oligarchs to suppress and blacklist debate on all the important issues that contribute to election outcomes‚” Hemingway summed it up. In fact‚ Hemingway herself has experienced this election-interfering censorship. “This is something I know firsthand because our government worked with tech companies to censor me for my election reporting‚” she said. Her experience is backed up by data. A Media Research Center poll found in November 2020 that 17 percent of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s voters would not have voted for him had they been aware of the president’s scandals that Big Tech and the legacy media censored. Hemingway added‚ “Allowing just one of these attacks to infect our electoral system would be a crisis. Allowing all of them at the same time is an existential threat to our system of self-government.” She then called out one specific Big Tech oligarch‚ Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‚ whose “Zuckerbucks” she covered in her book Rigged: How the Media‚ Big Tech‚ and the Democrats Seized Our Elections.  “In the last presidential election‚ nonprofit groups with very strong ties to the Democrat Party and funded by one of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful men‚ Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg‚ took over government election offices‚ most notably in the Democrat areas of swing states.” Such efforts have increased since‚ Hemingway stated. Online censorship and “Zuckerbucks” remain a threat to American self-government. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency and an equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us at the Media Research Center contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Move over‚ Joe Scarborough! You're not the only MSNBCer acting as an adviser to Joe Biden. Enter Mike Barnicle! On today's Way Too Early‚ airing right before Morning Joe‚ anchor Jonathan Lemire was clearly worried about the Republicans' edge over Biden on the border issue‚ and looked to Barnicle for advice on how to reverse it. Lemire also works for Politico and back on January 29‚ their Politico Playbook newsletter asked the question "Can Dems flip the border script?" That's what Lemire is asking Barnicle.   LEMIRE: The American people are deeply concerned about immigration. They are. This has been‚ to this point‚ a winning issue for Republicans. Do you think‚ though‚ the Biden administration can change the narrative and make it one for‚ at least if not a help‚ it negates the Republican strength? BARNICLE: They could perhaps change part of the narrative by‚ again‚ if the president went to the border and took action‚ actually signed something physically‚ and the border patrol was enhanced with more personnel. If they address it that way. It could change the narrative. Barnicle went on to say that the problem with the border is that it's a "visible" issue: "The issue is visible to you here in New York City walking around. It'ss visible to you in Cambridge‚ Massachusetts. In Chicago‚ Illinois. Throughout the country‚ people can see what the collapse of the border has done to the environment." He mentioned the burden on schools and crime‚ well‚ "public safety." Many liberals would be perfectly happy if millions of illegal immigrants -- AKA undocumented Democrats -- continued to pour into our country. But the disaster that's causing is‚ unfortunately‚ visible to the American people. So‚ to "negate Republican strength" on the issue‚ it becomes a political imperative for Biden to be seen to be doing something about it. Note: Lemire began with a little gibe at the 80-year-old Barnicle‚ saying that he always has his finger on the pulse of America—and that he was thankful that Barnicle actually has a pulse! Since Lemire is so concerned about helping Biden‚ should he really be cracking longevity jokes about octogenarians? Here's the transcript.MSNBC Way Too Early 2/9/24 5:58 am ET   JONATHAN LEMIRE: Mike‚ I know you always have your finger on the pulse of what American people are thinking. We know that your pulse there‚ thankfully‚ I'm glad you have one. The American people are deeply concerned about immigration. They are. This has been‚ to this point‚ a winning issue for Republicans. Do you think‚ though‚ that the Biden administration can change the narrative and make it one‚ for‚ at least if not a help‚ at least negates the Republican strength? MIKE BARNICLE: Well‚ they could perhaps change part of the narrative by going‚ again‚ if the president went to the border and took action‚ actually signed something physically‚ and the border patrol was enhanced with more personnel. If they addressed it that way‚ that could change the narrative. The problem with the narrative about immigration is‚ it's a visible issue. The issue is visible to you here in New York City walking around. It'ss visible to you in Cambridge‚ Massachusetts. In Chicago‚ Illinois.  Throughout the country‚ people can see what the collapse of the border has done to the environment. And they can witness -- if you've got a young family‚ you can witness what has happened as more and more children of immigrants are put into public schools across America. The cost to cities to maintain public safety. All of it. All of it. It's right there.

It's well known that Sunny Hostin‚ co-host of ABC’s The View was a staunchly racist and anti-Semitic person who has repeatedly demanded reparations from the United States and the United Kingdom. But on Thursday‚ Hostin received the results of a recent genealogy and family history investigation which found that both sides of her family tree OWNED SLAVES. And despite being slapped with the worst label race baiters like her could throw around‚ she was as adamant as ever that she “deserve[d]” reparations. Hostin discovered this rotten chuck of trunk in her family tree because she had appeared on a recent episode of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. Before admitting the dark truth‚ she said she “was reluctant to do it because I just sensed that there could be something in my family history that would be disappointing” or “negative.”     She explained that the story passed down within her family was that they “were printers and journalists;” when in reality the “family business” was “enslavers.” Her family was so dedicated to keeping their slaves‚ that they fled from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean from country to country as more and more abolished slavery: But what I found out was that my mother's family while they are Puerto Rican‚ they actually originate from Spain‚ and the reason that they moved to Puerto Rico is because the slave trade had been sort of canceled in Spain and then Curaçao and then they moved all their slaves to Puerto Rico. So‚ the family business‚ I have been told‚ that they were printers and journalists but they were‚ in fact‚ enslavers. Possibly realizing what this could mean for the woman who made racial identity politics so crucial to her public persona and analysis‚ the audience was so quiet‚ that you could hear a pin drop. “A hush fell over the audience‚” co-host Joy Behar quipped.Continuing with the topic‚ Hostin disclosed that the revelation was “deeply disappointing” to her mother (pictured below)‚ who “identified herself as black race‚ but Hispanic for ethnicity” and “was deeply ingrained in black culture.” “But her race is white. She's European. I know‚” she lamented. “It's weird because when you look at her‚ my mother is blond and she has light eyes and my whole family looks like that.” She said her mother cried when she learned the truth and bizarrely suggested that perhaps the reason she “been so connected to black culture” was “because it's an atonement in my spirit.” Hostin did find a silver lining: even though‚ “there were slaves on both sides of our family; mother’s and father’s. But we are seven present indigenous Puerto Rican!” Amid their conversation‚ co-host Sara Haines‚ who often plays the role of speedbump to Hostin’s racial politics‚ pressed Hostin on how this discovery could change her outlook: “Sunny‚ how does this change you‚ though? You mentioned your mom was upset and this was shocking and maybe deep down‚ you kind of resisted it. How has this changed you knowing what you're hearing?” Hostin reiterated that being the progeny of slave owners was “disappointing” and “a bummer‚” but then lashed out at those who wanted to deny her access to reparation money. “I still believe in reparations! By the way. So‚ y'all can stop texting me and emailing me and saying that I'm a white girl and I don't deserve reparations!” she angrily shouted. “That's a lot‚ so I still believe in reparations. I still believe this country has a lot to do in terms of racial justice.” Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin was so spineless that she came to Hostin’s defense‚ saying “She can't control” who her ancestors were. “You're not responsible for what they did‚” Behar agreed. But Hostin’s personal politics and position on reparations didn’t care about such things. She once claimed that all white people “continue to reap the benefits” of slavery regardless of whether they actually owned slaves or not. Surely‚ as a person whose family directly benefited from slavery‚ Hostin was continuing to reap those benefits too. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View February 8‚ 2024 11:02:19 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So‚ we're starting a little differently this morning. Sunny‚ you were just on an episode of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. [Applause] SUNNY HOSTIN: I was. And he gave me some surprising revelations about my family history. You know‚ I was really reluctant. I don't know how you felt when you did it‚ Whoopi. But I was reluctant to do it because I just sensed that there could be something in my family history that would be disappointing. BEHAR: Negative. HOSTIN: Negative‚ yes. I thought I was going to have that kind of moment. And Skip had asked me to do it for a long time‚ and I finally decided to do it because I thought it would be helpful for my children and my children's children to know what their real history was. You know? But what I found out was that my mother's family while they are Puerto Rican‚ they actually originate from Spain‚ and the reason that they moved to Puerto Rico is because the slave trade had been sort of canceled in Spain and then Curaçao and then they moved all their slaves to Puerto Rico. So‚ the family business‚ I have been told‚ that they were printers and journalists but they were‚ in fact‚ enslavers. [Nervous laughter] And my mother --   JOY BEHAR: A hush fell over the audience. HOSTIN: -- was deeply disappointing and it's deeply disappointing because my mother really identified as Puerto Rican. She was part of the civil rights movement‚ and she was deeply ingrained in black culture‚ and identified herself as black race‚ but Hispanic for ethnicity. GOLDBERG: Okay. HOSTIN: But her race is white. She's European. I know. It's weird because when you look at her‚ my mother is blond and she has light eyes and my whole family looks like that. So‚ I think inside I sort of knew this was my history and that's probably why I didn't want to do it. And I spoke to my mom about it. She was deeply disappointed. She actually cried about it. And then she said maybe that's why I have been so connected to black culture because it's an atonement in my spirit. And I received that. I also found out – and there were slaves on both sides of our family; mother’s and father’s. But we are seven present indigenous Puerto Rican! (…) 11:07:29 a.m. Eastern SARA HAINES: Sunny‚ how does this change you‚ though? You mentioned your mom was upset and this was shocking and maybe deep down‚ you kind of resisted it. How has this changed you knowing what you're hearing? HOSTIN: I think at first I was deeply disappointed. BEHAR: The slave thing is a bummer. HOSTIN: It's a bummer. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: She can't control it. BEHAR: I know but still -- HOSTIN: I still believe in reparations! By the way. So‚ y'all can stop texting me and emailing me and saying that I'm a white girl and I don't deserve reparations! I still believe that -- BEHAR: Someone did that to you. GOLDBERG: I don't know who sent her a thing telling her she's a white girl— HOSTIN: It’s too much‚ people! GOLDBERG: --but clean off your television screen! HOSTIN: That's a lot‚ so I still believe in reparations. I still believe this country has a lot to do in terms of racial justice. But what I will say‚ Sara‚ to your question is that I feel that I'm enriched by knowing that history. Right? I'm enriched and I'm enriched by knowing that my family has come so far from being enslavers to my mother marrying my father in 1968. BEHAR: That's right. HOSTIN: I feel enriched. [Applause] BEHAR: You're not responsible for what they did. (…)

Many will fondly remember Bethany Hamilton from the memoir and 2011 film adaptation “Soul Surfer” – the true story of Hamilton’s recovery and faith-based journey to return to professional surfing after losing her arm in a shark attack. Hamilton has been an inspiration to millions for her courage and resilience in the face of tragedy and hardship. In 1999 when she was just 9 years old‚ Bethany signed with popular Australian surfing brand Rip Curl and has been a central figure for the brand since. However‚ that 24-year relationship just ended in November 2023‚ when Hamilton spoke out against the World Surfing League’s new policy that would permit men to compete in women’s surfing divisions as long as their testosterone levels were below a certain level. "I personally think that the best solution would be to create a different division so that all can have a fair opportunity to showcase their passion and talent‚" Hamilton stated in a video‚ being careful also to say that she loves and supports everyone. But the mere suggestion that trans-identifying men should have their own division to protect the integrity of women’s sports was enough to get her dropped from the label and replaced with trans surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson. “I’m fired up about this‚” says Allie Beth Stuckey‚ who thinks Hamilton deserves “kudos” for “using her platform … to speak up on behalf of women.” “Even if you go through estrogen therapy‚ even if you change your name‚ you grow your hair‚ you start wearing a skirt and lipstick‚ you're still a man‚ [and] you will always be a man. The fact that you went through male puberty means that you will have a physical advantage when it comes to athletics‚” says Allie. Not only is Lowerson clearly a biological man – “you see the jaw‚ you see the shoulders‚ you see the biceps‚ you see the chest‚” says Allie – but he was also a professional athlete before his transition‚ giving him an undeniable advantage in the women’s surfing division. In one picture‚ Lowerson poses holding a first-place trophy next to his female competitors‚ and it’s obvious “how much bigger he is than these other women.” Further‚ according to Allie‚ it seems that what Lowerson is really dealing with is well beyond gender dysphoria. “If you look at this person's social media‚ you can see that this is a fetish for him; you can see the kind of sexualized pictures that he is posting of himself” revealing that he “sees womanhood as objectification‚” says Allie. “I don’t know if that’s the case with [Lowerson]‚ but it certainly looks to be the case if you look at his social media‚” which features several highly sexualized images. To hear more about Sasha Jane Lowerson and how other athletes‚ including professional swimmer Riley Gaines‚ are responding to the situation‚ watch the video below. Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture‚ news‚ and theology from a Christian‚ conservative perspective‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

Yes‚ the Lankford-Biden immigration bill to codify the invasion into law is dead. But we still have an uncodified invasion that is transforming our country into a primitive cesspool. It isn’t enough merely to oppose a bill that pours lighter fluid on the fire. We need policies that will douse the flames. Fortunately‚ Republicans still have ample power to leverage against the invasion if they so choose. If Republican governors were serious about securing the border properly‚ they would demagnetize their own states. While Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was right to block Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford’s compromised immigration bill in the House and to push for impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas‚ let’s not lose sight of the fact that the power of the purse is the most effective weapon in checking Joe Biden’s malfeasance. With the federal government’s funding slated to expire on March 1 and March 8‚ Johnson has one last chance to harness the popular sentiment against the invasion and refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security until it stops. Along with waging a federal funding fight‚ states can add to Johnson’s leverage by enacting their own immigration policies to demagnetize their own borders. Much has been said about the unity of Republican governors behind Greg Abbott in Texas over the past few weeks. That support‚ however‚ has amounted to little more than photo ops at the border with no concrete plans to cut off benefits to illegal aliens‚ to say nothing of organizing a state-based deportation program. The invaders don’t remain at the border. They fan out to all the states. If Republican governors were serious about securing the border properly‚ they would demagnetize their own states. Yet very few red states are even considering legislation similar to laws passed by Texas and Florida. For example‚ South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem made a high-profile pilgrimage to the border last week‚ which included the usual photo ops and cable news interviews with tough talk against Biden. She even delivered a speech to a joint session of her legislature updating lawmakers on what she saw at the border. But what is the point of a speech if not to drive support for specific legislation? Still‚ despite South Dakota’s very quick legislative session‚ there is no sense of urgency on the part of Noem or her allies in legislative leadership to push any bills banning employment of illegal aliens (which is quite robust in her state’s agriculture sector) or outlawing the transport of illegal aliens into the state. The same can be said for most other GOP governors.If Republican governors followed their words with deeds‚ they’d be able to solve the immigration problem overnight. Do they want illegal aliens in their states or not? Here is what they can do this month to either demagnetize their borders or at least keep illegal aliens out of red states: Make illegal immigration a state crime: Texas has already criminalized illegal entry into Texas‚ and Florida has criminalized the transport of illegal aliens. Every red state should pass these bills this session and even go a step farther by criminalizing illegal aliens’ presence in the state. Either way‚ we need to place several statutes on the books making illegal immigration a state crime. Leverage criminal penalties against voluntary deportations: Once illegal immigration‚ transportation‚ or at least illegal re-entry becomes a state crime‚ then states have leverage to threaten illegal aliens‚ if caught‚ with prison time. As a means of leveraging prison time against self-repatriation‚ states could set up diversion courts similar to what we have for drug offenses. Illegal aliens could be given the choice of a year in prison for committing a crime or time served if they agree to leave the country. Obviously‚ if an illegal alien commits a serious crime against a citizen‚ justice dictates that the person stays in prison. But illegal aliens are often arrested for crimes like driving without a license or drunk driving. Most of those people remain in the country indefinitely because the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau refuses to deal with them. Under the Biden administration‚ there has been a 71% decline in ICE arrests of illegal aliens charged with drunk driving. In general‚ there has been a 67% decrease in deportation of all criminal aliens. Now Biden is threatening to reduce deportations even further. Although this problem is the fault of the federal government‚ states could encourage illegal aliens to leave the country by holding prison sentences over their heads. Cut off their ability to work: What none of these GOP governors will tell you is that they have no interest in getting rid of illegal aliens simply because corporate agriculture and other industry lobbyists will not permit it. We all know that if red states actually enforced laws against working without a permit‚ illegal aliens would avoid those states. Clamp down on labor contract organizations: Part of the package that illegal aliens get from the smugglers is a guarantee of under-the-table employment from labor contract organizations that work with the cartels to pay off the smuggling debts. This is straight-up human trafficking‚ yet employers of big farms and factories work with these recruiting and staffing companies to import illegal workers. States need to hold them liable for working with these organizations‚ in addition to passing mandatory E-Verify checks. We constantly hear that Republicans lack control over immigration policy. But they do have the majority in the House‚ a filibuster-enabling minority in the Senate‚ and control of half the states. They could engage in a knock-down‚ drag-out fight over the budget while states implement a shock and awe campaign to coordinate demagnetization laws just like they are coordinating photo ops at the border. The problem is not simply the Democrats’ recalcitrance. It’s because the Republican Party has‚ let us say‚ a complicated relationship with illegal immigration.

Two moms from Kentucky are warning others about their harrowing experience at a resort in the Bahamas during a Carnival cruise. Longtime friends Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson went on a kid-free vacation earlier this month. During their Carnival cruise‚ the duo went to a beach in the Grand Bahamas on Sunday. The Kentucky moms said they were relaxing on a beach in Freeport when a resort staffer offered them a two-for-one drink deal. Around noon‚ the pair ordered one pineapple and one coconut drink and took a photo with the tropical libations. However‚ the women said that the drinks were far stronger than they expected. "Less than a few [sips] into the second drink‚ we knew something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong‚" Shearer told NewsNation.The women said that they had only had one drink at the resort that day. Dobson said loved ones back home noticed that they appeared to be highly intoxicated just 15 minutes after their first sips and questioned whether they had only one alcoholic beverage. The women said they were looking for shells on the beach when a male resort staffer pointed them to an area with plenty of shells. But the next thing Shearer could recall was waking up while she was being assaulted by a uniformed male resort worker. "I came to in the process of my rape‚" a teary-eyed Shearer said. The women claimed that the local authorities didn't administer proper sexual assault test kitsOnce back on the Carnival cruise ship‚ the women had rape tests administered. They also had a breathalyzer test‚ which showed them to have little or no alcohol in their systems. However‚ toxicology tests showed that they had benzodiazepines‚ among other drugs‚ in their bodies.Police identified two male suspects in the alleged sexual attack through surveillance footage. Both were employees at the resort‚ and one of the men reportedly had only worked there for about a week. On Sunday night‚ Royal Bahamas Police arrested two men – a 40-year-old of South Bahamia and a 54-year-old of Eight Mile Rock – in connection to the alleged sex crimes‚ the department said in a press release.Police said the investigation is ongoing. WLEX-TV reported‚ "The pair is now receiving medical care at home‚ which includes thousands of dollars of preventative care‚ including HIV prevention medication which costs nearly $4‚000."The women are demanding justice for the alleged sexual assault. "We want justice for what happened to us. We want to raise awareness for others‚" Shearer wrote in a Facebook post.The women are upset with Carnival Cruise Line for not making them aware that the U.S. State Department had recently increased its travel advisory level for the Bahamas and advised travelers to "exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime."“The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands‚” the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs stated in the "level 2" travel advisory posted on Jan. 26. “In Nassau‚ practice increased vigilance in the ‘Over the Hill’ area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population.”"Violent crime such as burglaries‚ armed robberies‚ and sexual assaults occur‚ but generally not in tourist areas‚" the advisory noted. Shearer said‚ "You need to be aware because our cruise line did not make us aware of a travel advisory. We had no idea what was going on in the Bahamas."The women said they didn't know about the travel advisory until "four hours after we were raped."The mothers are warning other women of the potential dangers of traveling. "Be safe. Two is not a group. Do not buy any drinks that come unless they come in a sealed container‚ in a bottle‚" Dobson said. Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here! Kentucky women raped in Bahamas warning others about travel dangers | Cuomo www.youtube.com

An Indiana county clerk's office discovered what appear to be fraudulent signatures and addresses on hundreds of petition papers last month‚ the Federalist reported Thursday.Last week‚ the Indiana State Police launched an investigation after St. Joseph County Clerk Amy Rolfes and her staff alerted law enforcement and state elections officials about a potential petition forgery plot.A volunteer for Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips‚ a United States representative from Minnesota‚ may have submitted petition papers with seemingly fraudulent signatures and addresses.The county clerk stated that on January 25‚ the campaign volunteer attempted to turn in approximately 80 petition documents to help get Phillips on the state's presidential ballot. However‚ the papers could not be accepted because they lacked key information. According to Rolfes‚ the volunteer was advised to complete and return the forms for submission. The next day‚ the volunteer came back with 53 completed pages."Curiously‚ there were addresses that simply did not exist. The streets did‚ but not the house numbers‚" Rolfes told the Federalist. She noted that her staff attempted to compare the signatures on the petitions to the ones in Indiana's statewide database‚ but they could not find matches. "We would look through and compare the signatures‚ but there was nothing like them in the statewide system‚" Rolfes added. She called the documents' discrepancies "glaringly apparent‚" noting that they even included fake zip codes."We kept saying‚ 'That's not valid. That's not valid‚'" she remarked."They thought‚ 'They're never going to look.' That had to be the mindset. It's like cheating on homework‚" Rolfes continued. "What I know is we were doing our jobs. … I feel that's the first line of defense in election integrity: Do your job. If more people did‚ maybe we would see more of this stuff coming to light." Rolfes told the Federalist she knows the Phillips campaign volunteer's identity but cannot release those details.After notifying Indian's Election Division‚ Rolfes and her team were instructed to complete the processing of the documents and to contact the police‚ she told the Federalist. Law enforcement arrived a few days later to assess the situation.The county clerk explained that the investigation is still under way‚ and local officials are "making progress.""I know it's not sitting. They're taking it very seriously‚" she added.Indiana State Police Sergeant Ted Bohner told the Federalist that he could not comment on a pending investigation but noted it "is probably going to be lengthy."Submitting fraudulent campaign petitions‚ requests‚ declarations‚ or certificates is a Level 6 felony in Indiana. If found guilty‚ the campaign volunteer could face two and a half years in prison and a $10‚000 fine. "Election fraud is not a conspiracy theory in St. Joseph County. It is real. This incident demonstrates why signature requirements and photo identification are essential elements of ensuring our elections are honest and fair‚" Rolfes remarked.Phillips' campaign did not respond to requests for comment‚ the Federalist reported.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!