Category: Battleground States

‘Method of Intimidation:’ Ron Johnson Slams DOJ Probe of Parents’ School Board Protests

Wisconsin Daily Star Staff

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says Attorney General Merrick Garland‘s order to have the FBI investigate parent protests of school policies is “outrageous” and a “method of intimidation.”

“He is saying they are intimidating school board members. No, it is the attorney general of the United States that is intimidating people exercising their rights to free speech and the right to petition their government,” Johnson said in an interview aired Sunday on the Cats Roundtable with John Catsimatidis show on WABC radio in New York.

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‘Citywide Intergenerational Peace March’ Held in Milwaukee

Hayley Tschetter

A “Citywide Intergenerational Peace March” was held in Milwaukee on Saturday by community members in response to the rising levels of violence. WISN 12 reported that this year, Milwaukee has had 152 homicides, and 710 non-fatal shootings to date, which is more than double the number of shootings from 2019.

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Wisconsin School Choice Bill Would Allow Parents to Transfer Kids over Mask Policies

The Center Square

Wisconsin’s latest open enrollment suggestion would allow parents to send their kids to a new school based on whether or not the school enforced mask mandates.

The Senate Committee on Education on Thursday heard from lawmakers on Senate Bill 587, which would give parents the ability to send their kids to a new school based solely on a school district’s coronavirus policy.

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Parents Announce ‘Not Domestic Terrorists’ Rally in Front of the Justice Department

Wisconsin Daily Star Staff
Parents protesting certain library books in children's schools

Northern Virginia parents plan to protest in front of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Sunday, according to a flyer posted online.

A flyer reveals plans for a “Parents Are Not ‘Domestic Terrorists’ Rally Oct. 17. “Stand up, speak up, fight back!” the memo reads. “Bring friends, be heard … you can make a difference!”

News broke Wednesday that a Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) student was allegedly raped in a school bathroom in May by a male student who wore a skirt. The victim’s father, Scott Smith, was arrested at a LCPS school board meeting weeks later for resisting arrest, and the perpetrator – who was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy – allegedly assaulted another girl at the school he transferred to following the initial incident, Daily Wire reported.

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Wisconsin Sen. Johnson Questions Use of COVID Vaccines for Military

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) wrote a letter to the Biden Administration questioning their use of COVID vaccinations for military members. Allegedly, military members may not be receiving COVID vaccines that are approved by the FDA.

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Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai to Hold Forum on Arizona Audit Findings

Cooper Moran

Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, who wrote the portion of the Maricopa County ballot audit addressing the signatures on the return envelopes of mail-in ballots, is holding a forum on Thursday to discuss findings of the Arizona election audit.

When addressing the findings, Ayyadurai invited members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to answer any concerns over the procedures.

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Mothers Sue Wisconsin Schools over Lack of COVID Restrictions After Children Catch COVID

Hayley Tschetter

Two mothers are suing Wisconsin schools for their lack of COVID restrictions after their children caught COVID. According to the complaint, both of the Wisconsin children who caught COVID wore masks to school, while some of their classmates did not.

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Mollie Hemingway’s New Book, ‘Rigged,’ Tells How Wisconsin Officials Used COVID to Manipulate Election

Hayley Tschetter

Mollie Hemingway’s new book, Rigged, tells the story of Wisconsin election officials and their use of the COVID pandemic to manipulate the 2020 election results. Hemingway draws from many special elections held over the course of COVID, explaining that Democrats learned that their voters were much more likely to vote by mail than Republicans.

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Wisconsin Democrat Attorney General Says That ‘Fake Election Investigation’ Needs to Be Shut Down

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin’s Democrat Attorney General Josh Kaul said that the “fake election investigation” needs to be shut down. Kaul called the investigation by the Office of Special Counsel and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman a “partisan political effort” that lacks any credibility.

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Wisconsin State Rep. Janel Brandtjen: Gableman Investigation Does Not Speak for All

Admin

The top Republican on the Wisconsin Assembly’s election committee says the special investigator looking into last fall’s vote doesn’t speak for her.

Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) on Monday released a statement saying she opposes any deals with the mayors of the so-called Wisconsin Five, and is not a part of former Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman’s investigation.

“The current subpoenas have not been approved by the Assembly’s Campaigns and Elections Committee,” Brandtjen wrote. “I do not approve of the current list of subpoenas to the five Wisconsin Mayors, as this provides immunity to them in any trial or criminal proceedings.”

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Wisconsin Rep. Steil Says He Is Voting ‘No’ On Raising Debt Ceiling

Hayley Tschetter
Bryan Steil

Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) said in an interview with Newsmax that he will be voting no on raising the debt ceiling. Steil said, “We have to stand firm against Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer’s attempts to spend us into oblivion. I’ll be voting no on this debt ceiling increase.”

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Wisconsin Democrats Renew Efforts to Rollback Act 10

The Center Square
Chris Larson

Ten years after Act 10 became law and changed what Wisconsin school teachers can include in their school contracts, Democratic lawmakers in the state continue to try and roll it back.

Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, and a handful of Democrats this week introduce what they are calling the Collective Bargaining for Public Education Act.

“Wisconsin’s public education sector has a unique and critical role to play in our state. To ensure the effectiveness of these institutions, we rely on highly qualified individuals and their talents to move our state forward,” Larson said in a statement. “The legislation we have introduced establishes the right of employees of school districts, CESAs, technical college districts, and the UW System to collectively bargain over wages, hours, and conditions of employment.”

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University of Wisconsin Clarifies Mental Health Hires, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Still Worried about Racial Stereotyping

The Center Square
Daniel Lennington

One of Wisconsin’s government watchdogs says it’s keeping an eye on whether the University of Wisconsin’s new mental health providers for students of color discharges their duties in a discriminatory fashion.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on Wednesday sent a letter to the university after UW-Madison’s September announcement that it hired nine new mental health professionals. WILL took issue with how the school originally framed the new counselors.

The university said “three of these providers will exclusively serve students of color, joining eight providers already in this role.”

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Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Fitzgerald Demands Answers About Biden Admin Handling of Border Crisis

Hayley Tschetter
Joe Biden and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald

Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05) signed a letter demanding answers from the Biden Administration regarding their handling of the border crisis. Fitzgerald said that “Biden continues to neglect the very crisis he enabled at the border.”

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Wisconsin Rep. Fitzgerald Sends Letter to Biden Admin Demanding Briefing on Threats Against Parents

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05) sent a letter, along with the Republican Committee on Education and Labor colleagues, demanding a briefing regarding the Biden Administration threats against parents involved in their children’s education. Fitzgerald said, “Parents who advocate for their children’s education should be applauded not labeled as a threat and intimidated to stay silent as the DOJ and [the U.S. Department of Education] have recently done.”

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Gableman Announces Cooperation from Wisconsin Cities in Election Investigation

Hayley Tschetter

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman announced on Friday that there has been cooperation from subpoenaed Wisconsin cities in the ongoing election audit. “Following our recent issuance of subpoenas, we have received encouraging responses from most of the city officials involved, and we expect their full cooperation in scheduled interviews and the expected transfer of all related documents, data, and communications regarding their management of the 2020 election,” Gableman said.

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Wisconsin Rep. Tiffany Calls on Biden Admin to Reinstate Diplomacy with Taiwan

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin Rep. Thomas Tiffany (R-WI-07) called on the Biden Administration to reinstate diplomatic relations with Taiwan. A letter, written by Tiffany and three other members of Congress, shared concerns over the 600 plus warplanes that have violated Taiwan’s air defense identification zone since January.

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Wisconsin Rep. Steil Visits Texas to See Border Crisis ‘First Hand’

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) visited the border along with two other representatives to see the crisis first hand. Steil visited Del Rio, where thousands of migrants have been camped under an overpass and where video footage showed illegal immigrants walking across the river and into the United States.

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GOP Governors Ignored by Biden Offer Solutions to Border Crisis Anyway

Peter D'Abrosca

After a group of 26 Republican governors, spearheaded by Gov. Doug Ducey (R), sent a letter to the Biden Administration requesting to meet and discuss the ongoing crisis at the border, the group is pushing forward with solutions.

That letter, sent in late September, was ignored by the White House. 

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Five Wisconsin Mayors to Receive Subpoenas in Ongoing Election Investigation

Hayley Tschetter

Five Wisconsin mayors will be receiving subpoenas as part of the ongoing election investigation. Head investigator Michael Gableman announced on Tuesday that the mayors of Green Bay, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, and Madison would be subpoenaed to assist in the audit.

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Dale Kooyenga: More School Spending Doesn’t Mean Better Schools for Wisconsin

The Center Square
Dale Kooyenga

One Wisconsin Republican says a recent report on school spending misses the mark.

Sen. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, said the report from The Reason Foundation is a bit misleading. The report places Wisconsin near the bottom of all states when it comes to new school spending over the past decade or so.

“The most money ever spent on education in Wisconsin came during the last four years of the Walker Administration,” Kooyenga told The Center Square on Monday. “And just because another state decides to spend more on their schools, that doesn’t mean our schools are worse.”

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Wisconsin Students Told They Could Not Wear ‘Trump Wall’ Shirts at Private School

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin high school students were told they could not wear “Trump Wall” shirts at their private school. As reported by CBS 58, “Students, parents and Latino advocacy groups are calling for action to be taken after a photo of students at Racine Lutheran High School with T-shirts that read ‘Trump’s Wall’ on them was circulated online.”

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Pro-Abortion Protest Groups Clash with One Another at Wisconsin State Capital

Hayley Tschetter

Three protests all with different perspectives on abortion clashed at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Saturday. The pro-abortion marches appeared to have been fueled by recent decisions in Texas, banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.

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State Sen. Kooyenga: More School Spending Doesn’t Mean Better Schools for Wisconsin

The Center Square

One Wisconsin Republican says a recent report on school spending misses the mark.

Sen. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, said the report from The Reason Foundation is a bit misleading. The report places Wisconsin near the bottom of all states when it comes to new school spending over the past decade or so.

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Election Investigator Serves Five Largest Wisconsin Cities with Subpoenas

Hayley Tschetter

The Wisconsin election investigator, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, served subpoenas to five of Wisconsin’s largest cities last week. The subpoenas are the latest step in an election audit and are asking for 2020 election records and interviews with officials from the state as well as details regarding the use of private funds.

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Rep. Tusler: Plans to Modernize Wisconsin’s Unemployment System Too Late, Not Enough

The Center Square

A Republican lawmaker says plans to modernize Wisconsin’s unemployment office are about a year late, and not nearly enough.

Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development on Wednesday announced a $16.5 million contract with Madison-based Flexion to take the first step in the process of updating and upgrading its computer network.

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Wisconsin Lawmakers Ok Plan to Make School Spending Numbers Transparent to Taxpayers

The Center Square

Parents and taxpayers in Wisconsin are one step away from having a much easier time finding out where their local schools spend their money.

Lawmakers in Madison have approved Senate Bill 373, which will collect financial information on public schools in the state, and make it available through one central, statewide website.

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Wisconsin State House Speaker Vos Issues First Subpoenas in 2020 Election Audit

Wisconsin Daily Star Staff
Robin Vos of Wisconsin

Wisconsin state House Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, said Friday he has signed off on the first subpoenas in an audit of the state’s 2020 election results, an indication the review is proceeding.

Vos said the subpoenas were being filed as part of the GOP-backed investigation being led by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. The former justice visited the site of the election audit in Arizona’s Maricopa County and has said he could issue subpoenas to election officials who don’t comply with information related to his review, according to The Hill newspaper.

Said Vos: “Ensuring the 2020 election was conducted fairly and legally is critically important to maintaining faith in our election system.”

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Wisconsin Rep. Grothman Signs Letter Asking for Release of Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06) signed a letter asking for the release of Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who was jailed after criticizing the military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Grothman said, “Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller spoke truth to power. Now, he is unjustly sitting in pre-trial confinement.”

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Arizona Senate President Warns State Could Take Control of Maricopa Election After Audit Red Flags

Wisconsin Daily Star Staff

Following the release of explosive findings by an independent forensic audit of the 2020 election in Arizona’s Maricopa County, the state may step in to assume direct control of election administration there before the next election, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann hinted Friday.

The long-awaited results of an outside audit of the county’s 2020 election process were announced Sept. 24. While confirming the rough accuracy of county vote tabulation giving Joe Biden a razor-thin victory in Arizona, the auditors flagged more than 50,000 suspect ballots for further investigation of issues ranging from people voting from addresses from which they had already moved to residents voting twice.

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Wisconsin Rep. Tiffany Opposes Pick for Director of Bureau of Land Management

Hayley Tschetter

Wisconsin Rep. Tiffany (R-WI-07) tweeted out that he opposes the pick for the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Tiffany said that Tracy Stone-Manning’s “history of eco-terrorism makes her unfit to lead our nation’s largest federal land agency.”

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Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson Sponsors Bill That Would Ban Vaccine Mandates

Wisconsin Daily Star Staff

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson unveiled new legislation Wednesday that would block federal vaccine mandates by utilizing the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Johnson was joined by some of his colleagues from the House and Senate who wish to co-sponsor the bill.

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Speaker Robin Vos: I Am ‘Supremely Confident’ in Wisconsin Election Investigation

The Center Square

Wisconsin’s Assembly speaker is expecting to get a report on the 2020 election that shows there are questions that need to be answered.

Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he has faith that former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman’s probe will not be a waste of time.

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Brnovich Demands Maricopa County Freeze All Materials Related to 2020 Election

Rachel Alexander

In response to the report released last week about the Maricopa County ballot audit, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s Election Integrity Unit sent a letter to Maricopa County instructing the recorder and supervisors to preserve all records related to the 2020 election in preparation for litigation. He also sent a letter to the Arizona Senate requesting more information related to the audit. 

“The Arizona Senate’s report that was released on Friday raises some serious questions regarding the 2020 election,” Brnovich said in a statement about the letters. “Arizonans can be assured our office will conduct a thorough review of the information we receive.”

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Wisconsin Rep. Fitzgerald Signs on to Letter Opposing Google Ban of Live Action Abortion Pill Reversal Ads

Hayley Tschetter
Congressman Scott Fitzgerald

Wisconsin Representative Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05) signed onto a letter opposing Google’s ban of abortion reversal pills from the pro-life organization Live Action. Fitzgerald tweeted out saying he had joined Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03) “in demanding answers from Google for their indefensible decision to bow to pressure from the left.”

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Wisconsin Rep. Gallagher Calls on Congress to Take Action Regarding Illegal Immigration at the Border

Hayley Tschetter
Mike Gallagher

Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08) called on Congress to take action regarding the influx of illegal immigration occurring at the Untied States southern border. Gallagher called it a “failure” of the Biden Administration.

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Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Johnson Demands Answers to White House ‘Miscommunication’ on Afghan Vetting

Hayley Tschetter

In a letter to the Biden Administration, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) demanded answers to the White House’s “miscommunication” regarding the vetting of Afghanistan refugees. The letter reads, “The Biden Administration’s unwillingness to answer basic questions about Afghan parolees and its vetting procedures, especially when coupled with OMB’s request for Congress to waive terrorist, national security, and all other grounds of inadmissibility, raises significant national security concerns about Operation Allies Welcome.”

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Reform Chief: Wisconsin State Superintendent Doesn’t Understand Her Job

The Center Square

The head of one of Wisconsin’s government reform groups alleges the irony is thick in the state superintendent’s latest warning to state lawmakers about playing politics with kids in schools.

State Superintendent Jill Underly penned an op-ed on Monday claiming lawmakers are hurting public school students by considering plans to allow parents to opt their kids out of sexual orientation and gender fluidity classes, while also requiring schools to teach more about civics and American government.

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Donald Trump Calls Georgia ‘a Central Battleground’ to Rescue Nation During Rally in Perry

Chris Butler

Former U.S. President Donald Trump held a rally Saturday in Perry, where he introduced the candidates he wants Georgia voters to help elect in the 2022 elections. “One year from now Georgia will be a central battleground in our fight to rescue our beloved nation,” Trump told the audience.

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Wisconsin Office of Special Counsel Invites Clerks to Share Election Information, Concerns

Hayley Tschetter

The Wisconsin Office of Special Council, one of the state’s 2020 election auditors, is inviting county clerks to meet with them and share election information and concerns. “I would like to formally invite you to meet with me personally – in person or by phone or video call – to discuss these concerns, as well as any other thoughts of any nature that you might have about the State’s investigation,” the letter states.

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Maricopa County Audit Results Reveal Someone Was Caught on Video Illegally Deleting Hundreds of Thousands of Election Files the Day Before the Audit Started

Admin

Arizona Senate Republicans issued the results of the independent ballot audit they conducted of the 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate election in Maricopa County on September 24 during a presentation, revealing findings that numerous election laws were broken and security measures breached. 

The most startling finding came from Ben Cotton, the founder of CyFIR. He said hundreds of thousands of election files — which the Maricopa County Supervisors refused to allow the auditors to examine — were deleted the day before the audit began, a violation of federal law which requires federal election records to be retained for 22 months. Although the name of the account that deleted them was not tied to a specific election worker, Cotton said there is video of the person who accessed those servers at that time. 

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Wisconsin Supreme Court to Take Redistricting Case

The Center Square

There could be two different court-drawn political maps in Wisconsin. The state’s Supreme Court late Wednesday agreed to take up a redistricting case that could result in the court drawing the state’s new boundaries for Congress and the state legislature.

The decision comes just one day after a federal court in Madison essentially said it would draw the new political map if lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers can’t agree.

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Pennsylvania County Commissioners’ Group Opposes Live-Streaming of Mail-In Vote Counting

Bradley Vasoli

Bipartisan enthusiasm for election-reform legislation appeared solid at a Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee hearing on Thursday, save for one part: video live-streaming of mail-in-ballot counting.

Elements of the bill, sponsored by Sen. David Argall (R-PA-Pottsville) and Sen. Sharif Street (D-PA-Philadelphia), have arisen largely from recommendations in a June 2021 report by the Senate Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform. Argall and Street’s proposal excludes some of the ad hoc panel’s more contentious ideas, particularly enhanced voter-identification rules, which Rep. Seth Grove (R-PA-York) is spearheading in separate legislation. (While Gov. Tom Wolf [D] vetoed Grove’s bill in June, the representative has reintroduced it in light of the governor’s subsequent remarks in favor of a strengthened voter-ID requirement.)

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Two Afghan Refugees at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin Face Sexual Assault and Abuse Charges

Hayley Tschetter

Two Afghan refugees staying at Fort McCoy have been charged in separate incidents involving sexual assault of a minor and abuse. A grand jury charged Afghan refugees Bahrullah Noori and Mohammad Haroon Imaad on Thursday. Noori, 20, was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a minor, with one count of use of force. According to the indictment, the girls he assaulted at Fort McCoy “had not attained the age of 16 years and were at least four years younger than the defendant.”

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