SD26

The good people at Talking Points Memo have nominated state Senator-elect Brian Nieves (R-Washington) for one of their annual "Golden Duke" awards.  TPM's summary indicates that Nieves may still face a civil suit for his post-election temper tantrum, but I'm not sure that's the case.  Here's how they summarize his scandal:

State Sen.-Elect Brian Nieves (R-MO) Faced Charges He Assaulted Rival's Staffer: It's one thing to menace a tracker, and yet another to wave a gun around at your GOP rival's chief of staff and force him to strip and apologize. Yet that's what staffer Shawn Bell said Nieves did to him when he stopped by to congratulate the winning team after the primary. Though the prosecutors declined to file charges, Bell plans a civil suit and Nieves called on people to pray for him.

If words don't have any meaning, policy debates are a lot easier:

"I am specifically in favor of a fair tax and of reforming our tax system," [Senator-elect Brian Nieves] said. "I think our current taxing system is regressive, not progressive - in all of the fair tax studies that I have seen, it would actually lower our tax burden on each individual Missourian."

A fair tax would replace income tax with a consumption tax on retail goods.

"Right now there are tons of people earning income who never pay taxes," Nieves said. "Like a drug dealer who might make $100,000 and never pays a penny of income tax." Those people making money illegally still spend and many actually spend more - this would create a more fair environment, and recoup the tax dollars of people making money illegally."

Opponents of the fair tax say those who make between $15,000 and $200,000 would be taxed much more than those who make more than $200,000, among other criticisms.

Nieves captures the argument of "Fair Tax" supporters perfectly here:  The state will still have enough money to pay its current obligations (they say), but somehow "it would actually lower our tax burden on each individual Missourian."  No way this isn't too good to be true! 

And the idea that folks might make the relatively short drive across state lines to avoid Missouri's new quite high sales tax?  This is where right-wingers suddenly forget all of their own talk about how tax policies can encourage or discourage people to make certain choices.  Sodontworryaboutit!

The apparent exceptions in this fantasy world in which everybody wins -- and this is brand new information to me -- are your local drug dealers, who would no longer be able to keep their black market money away from a much higher sales tax.  Brilliant!  Maybe we can even ask them to start collecting sales taxes on their illicit drug sales?  I can see the campaign commercials now....

The Washington Missourian published responses from GOP consultant James Harris and staffer Shawn Bell to Rep. Brian Nieves' accusations that Harris forced Bell to do "shady or illegal" things, and that Harris is forcing Bell to take frivolous legal action against Nieves.

Harris said he never forced Bell to do anything illegal and called Nieves' statements "baffling" and the "weirdest thing I've ever heard."

"I didn't tell Shawn to do anything. His (Nieves') comments are laughable. None of this is good for my business. But there is a matter of what's right is right. If someone is a victim of an alleged crime they have the right to pursue it," he told The Missourian.

In the statement, Nieves said he had no idea what the "shady or illegal" things Harris was involved in nor did he agree with Bell's statement that he was actually involved in anything illegal.

The Missourian also reports that Bell intends to file a civil suit against Nieves in the coming days.

A new Facebook fundraiser invite for Brian Nieves' legal fund calls for supporters to "send a strong message to the corrupt power brokers such as James Harris that we rebuke their thug tactics and their attempt to manipulate the outcome of an election."  In his personal message asking for money, Nieves calls the request for a protection order against him "an obvious case of Malicious Prosecution."

Screen cap of the invite below the break. 

Rep. Brian Nieves emailed supporters last night with a message and statement about the Franklin County Prosecutor's decision not to press criminal charges against him.  In the email, Nieves hints that he might be taking his own legal action against GOP consultant James Harris.

I am ready to forgive and forget things specific to Shawn Bell. I also reserve the right to seek action against persons we believe pushed and perhaps even directed Shawn to make these false allegations. Shawn’s police statement, in his own writing, suggests he had no intent to seek action against me until he spoke to his employer, James Harris....This entire scenario smacks of a young man being pushed to do things against his own will by people he is trying to stay or become ingratiated with or even employed by. At this point we are not prepared to say with certainty that James Harris has forced Shawn Bell to make these allegations nor are we accusing him of such but there are many who suggest that is exactly what has happened...

During Shawn’s visit to my office he said more than once that he wanted to get away from his current employer, James Harris, because, as Shawn said, “he makes me do shady and illegal stuff.” We have no idea what kind of “Shady” or “Illegal” stuff Shawn may have been referring to but I can tell you that in my opinion, Shawn wanted to terminate his relationship with James Harris. Shawn repeatedly asked me to not stand in the way of him seeking employment with political people who do not have the bad reputation he believed Harris to have and who will not, in Shawn’s words, “make me do shady and illegal stuff.”

...I feel bad for Shawn as he made it very clear that he believes James Harris forces him to do shady and illegal stuff but Shawn is going to have to stand up for himself and terminate his relationship with a boss (James Harris) who makes him that uncomfortable. I just hope that the “Shady & Illegal” stuff that Shawn alleges James Harris makes him do does not include forcing him to perjure him self … Let’s all pray for Shawn. 

Nieves' full message is below the break.

UPDATE: Nieves has posted the following on Facebook: "Praise God! The biggest hurdle is behind us! The Prosecutor announced Criminal Charges will NOT be filed! Please keep praying that civil charges be dropped too!"

Michelle Moore, Brian Nieves' co-host on 1350AM, responds to the Franklin County Prosecutor's decision not to press charges against Nieves:

Brian was innocent of these accusations the same as he is innocent of the other trillion things the disgusting, pathetic campaign manager for Dick Stratman, Shawn Bell, said about him. Shawn Bell is a contemptible, horrid excuse for a man who did nothing but spread lies and innuendo during the campaign for the Senate race in Missouri's State District 26.

KMOX: "The Franklin County prosecutor says he may know by next week whether anyone will face charges in the case of the state representative accused of threatening the campaign manager of a political rival at gunpoint."

Riverfront Times: "A protection order hearing involving state Rep. Brian Nieves scheduled for today in Cole County Circuit Court has been pushed back.  Michael Byrne, attorney for plaintiff Shawn Bell, tells Daily RFT that he recently filed an amended petition to the case in which his client accuses Nieves of assaulting him. 'Mr. Nieves' attorney wanted a chance to review the new petition and asked for a continuance,' explains Byrne."

The Riverfront Times' Chad Garrison: "The attorney representing political campaign worker Shawn Bell in an adult abuse case against state Rep. Brian Nieves (R - Washington) has subpoenaed Nieve's wife, Julie, to testify at a court hearing Thursday. Bell, of Jefferson City, filed for an order of protection against Nieves in Cole County after complaining that the current Republican Whip in the House -- and G.O.P. candidate for state Senate -- assaulted him this month."

Yesterday on Facebook, Rep. Brian Nieves reiterated his belief that Shawn Bell, the rival campaign staffer who accused Nieves of assaulting him after the August 3 primary, "is being pushed, manipulated & used like a pawn that The Machine will toss aside as soon as he no longer serves their purposes."

Brian Nieves announced the creation of the "Brian Nieves Special Fund"  to "FIGHT the Machine's False accusations!" this afternoon on Facebook.

Monday, Nieves explained what the "Special Fund" is all about: 

I was Very Reluctant to set the account up but after ssooo many people said I'd be crazy not to ... We decided to do it! Our expenses are already in the thousands! Checks can be made out to Brian Nieves Special Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 1026 Washington, Mo. 63090 Please know we are NOT rolling over on our back like a submissive dog about this! We are indeed fighting back because what they are doing to me, they WILL do to others if WE let them win but WE will NOT let them win! Please invest with us as you can so we can bring these King Makers, Power Brokers and their Political machine DOWN!!

"He can blame me or the boogey man or the people in the black helicopters...But I had nothing to do with what he is saying. I don't know why he keeps on bashing me. When the horse is dead, it's time to dismount and move on. My advice to Brian is be a gracious winner and move on. I have."

Dick Stratman on Brian Nieves' allegations that he was behind a letter accusing him of infidelity in the SD26 primary, and behind the allegations that Nieves assaulted a former Stratman staffer after the primary

The Beacon's Jo Mannies has a must-read story this morning about the Brian Nieves prayer vigil in Washington last night.

Nieves contended that [alleged victim Shawn Bell] was "a pawn" being used by top state politicians who want to destroy Nieves and keep him out of the state Senate. Nieves asserted that [Dick Stratman's] allies already have been publicly calling for him to step down as the GOP nominee for the Senate post, but he added, "I won't back down."

The state's powerbrokers, said Nieves, are "using [Bell] like day-old bread that they're going to throw away when they are done."

St. Louis Activist Hub has an incredible snippet from the Brian Nieves radio show archives that I'm very sorry I missed a few months ago.  In it, Nieves refers to the AR-15 assault rifle featured previously on his program as a "Nancy Pelosi special."  Um, yikes.

Here's an excerpt from February 12 show (this clip starts at the 21:15 mark), complete with a spot-on impression of yours truly:

Update: Today's hearing was postponed until September 2. 

Rep. Brian Nieves sent supporters a long email last night stating that allegations made by rival campaign staffer Shawn Bell are "this is a 100% totally frivolous case" -- just hours before a court hearing on a protection order sought by Bell against Nieves. In the message, Nieves expresses thanks for his wife's ability to withstand watching "her husband was slandered, vilified and debased for months," declares that "We are NOT Backing Down!"

"We all know that the 'Old Guard' is very much threatened by all of us who will NOT bow down to The Machine and they are willing to literally destroy a man’s life to make sure nobody else gets the bright idea of standing up to them!" he writes. "Please know I am writing this all by myself at my kitchen table at almost 11pm on Wed. the 11th with no help from an attorney or anybody else! These are just MY words to you because I believe you deserve to know at least some of what’s happening!"

The Post-Dispatch has posted a PDF of Bell's police complaint here.

Nieves' full message is below the break.

Speaker Ron Richard, the Most Powerful Man in Missouri, sent $25,000 today to his Majority Whip in the House, Brian Nieves.  Richard's last-minute infusion is presumably intended to help Nieves fight the "Chicago Style Thug Campaign" he says is being conducted by former Washington mayor Dick Stratman and consultant James Harris.

State Rep. Brian Nieves emailed supporters last night decrying the campaign tactics of former Washington mayor Dick Stratman and an unnamed "High Priced, Politically Powerful Consultant." Nieves accuses the Stratman campaign of spreading "evil lies" in an "anonymous letter" and "15 Brutally Negative and Lie Filled mail pieces" --and declares that "the Vile and Disgusting things being said in print, on TV and on the radio about me are slanderous to the point that we WILL seek legal action and Press Charges against them!" (Odd capitalization in original -- please see below.)

"Please help us to help people understand that this is nothing more than a 'Chicago Style Thug Campaign' being run by a desperate and despicable man," Nieves writes. "The Lies they’ve perpetrated against me are so over the top, so disgusting and so untrue that we are seeking legal action and intend to SUE!"

The text of Nieves' letter is below the fold.

Setting aside questions about whether this new ad says anything about why Rep. Brian Nieves (R-Crazytown) deserves a promotion to the state Senate... does the Nieves campaign have some poll data showing that that voters in the 26th District are really looking for a lunatic to represent them in Jefferson City?

I know I'm not the target audience for this ad (except the part where creepy angry Brian Nieves tells "Barack Hussein Obama and your liberal ilk" to leave him alone).  But jeez.

In the all-caps description of the video on YouTube, Nieves comes down firmly against tyranny and freedom (!!!).  Because, you know, that's really what Barack Hussein Obama has been up to.

VOTE BRIAN NIEVES STATE SENATE Aug. 3rd!! MISSOURI, SEND OBAMA YOUR CLEAR MESSAGE, HANDS OFF MISSOURI!! VOTE YES ON PROP. C. Aug 3rd!!! SAY NO TO TO SOCIALISM AND OBAMA HEALTHCARE!! VOTE YES ON PROP C!!!! WE WILL SHOW OBAMA WHAT THE 10Th AMENDMENT IS ALL ABOUT!! SEND THE ENEMIES OF OUR CONSTITUTION A CLEAR MESSAGE!!! YES ON PROP C (HEALTHCARE FREEDOM ACT)!!! FOR MISSOURI'S FREEDOM FROM TYRANNY!!! YES ON PROP C!!!! BRIAN NIEVES FOR MISSOURI SENATE!!!! BRIAN NIEVES, THANK YOU FOR DEFENDING OUR CONSTITUTION!!!! BRIAN NIEVES FOR STATE SENATE AUG. 3rd!!!

Nieves said he and Griesheimer “take entirely different world views about state government.” Nieves said he is in the Legislature to limit government. “I’m likely to try to stop legislation to protect the liberties of the people,” he said. “The states are the only thing left to push back against an out-of-control federal government,” [Nieves] said.

Griesheimer made similar comments to the Missourian a few weeks ago, and noted Nieves' ties to disgraced former Speaker Rod Jetton:

[Griesheimer] said that he discussed four general issues with [Nieves] which included his lack of legislative accomplishments, his lack of concern for local issues, Amtrak funding and his association with former House Speaker Rod Jetton who Nieves had hired as a consultant.