"Preparing his own legal defense..."

Jeremy Taylor, Voter Fraud and Sioux City Journal saying the quiet part out loud

“I can’t comment on that.” Tony Morfitt, Public Information Officer, US Atty Office Northern District of Iowa said when I asked if Jeremy Taylor is now under investigation.

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Kim Phuong Taylor won’t face sentencing until after the new year.

“The way we do it in our office is we don’t set a sentencing date,” Morfitt told me, until after the pre-sentence investigation is completed. That, he said, could take over 60 days. Then, the hearing date would be 2 or 3 months after that.

Morfitt couldn’t put a date to it. I guessed: so maybe April? The best he could do was say maybe late March, but it is honestly hard to say. 

I’m interested in the sentencing phase of the Taylor’s of Woodbury County, case - certainly. Mrs. Taylor faces a maximum of 5 years per charge of her 52-count conviction. It’s hard to imagine a world where election fraud this sprawling (spanning the primary and general elections in 2020) wouldn’t get her at least some time in prison. How much is anyone’s guess.

With Jeremy Taylor named an unindicted co-conspirator, does that mean the Northern District is currently investigating Mr. Taylor with an eye toward charging him as well?

“I can’t comment on that,” Morfitt said.

I knew that would be the answer, but I had to ask. 

Naming Taylor as the once redacted “PERSON A” in Kim Phuong Taylor’s original indictment seems designed to put the pressure on. Maybe they are throwing him a line to try and spare his wife a long prison sentence by falling on his sword. I have to say, given Taylor’s history (twice he’s been called on to resign for voting related fraud) and his histrionics at the Supervisor’s meeting last week, I don’t see it happening. 

The Sioux City Journal Editorial Board said that quiet part out loud

Jeremy Taylor should resign; the board wrote in an editorial over the weekend: 

“Resigning would give Taylor more time to help his wife mount an appeal, as well as prepare his own legal defense. (Prosecutors identified Jeremy Taylor as an unindicted co-conspirator in his wife's trial, but he has not yet been charged.)” 

The Board is considering formally requesting AG Brenna Bird look into possible election fraud and remove Taylor from office if necessary. County auditor, read a resolution into the public record during the last board meeting. It leverages section 66 which is Iowa code that provides legal remedies to remove someone from office. 

You can read the whole thing here.

Ostensibly the resolution calls on Bird to officially investigate Jeremy Taylor for election fraud. Not federal election fraud like his wife, instead during a special election in 2020. From the resolution:

Whereas evidence exists that the same activity [election fraud] took place during the July 7th, 2020, Board of Supervisors District Two special election that was not investigated by federal authorities.

But Bird, who has fully embraced the Big Lie, is not likely to do anything with it (I did reach out to her office - once via phone and twice on DM). But the filing is about entering evidence into the public record. Especially this:

Former Woodbury County Supervisor Rocky DeWitt and Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan as candidates during the 2020 primary and general elections were anticipated to testify that Jeremy Taylor said “he had a lock” on a substantial number of votes from the Vietnamese community in Sioux City

They were anticipated to be called but weren’t. The trial lasted a mere 6 days including half a day for jury selection. It was expected to last 3 weeks. The trial seems, in retrospect, purposefully short. Maybe naming Jeremy Taylor was about more than just leverage. Maybe DeWitt and Sheehan have more to say. 

The full resolution has been accepted by the board into the public record. It’s also been put on the December 5 meeting agenda as an “information” item not “action” meaning the board will not be voting on it. 

Aside from the resolution, there is no need to involve the State AG at all. County Attorney James Loomis should be the one doing that work. It is part of the reason he was elected in 2022. Section 66 makes clear the AG investigates voter fraud, but - the County attorney is tasked with filing petition for removal of a public official with the district court. 

So why hasn’t he done it? 

“I believe Mr. Loomis has been prosecuting three back-to-back murder trials, and I anticipate him becoming more involved in this issue,” adding because it was what he called a ‘political issue,’ “I maintain that in an ideal world, he shouldn't be put in that [removing Taylor] position, but the reality is that he will be, and I think we all recognize that.”

(Loomis did send me an email this morning, stating he was in trial and couldn’t respond.)

I disagree with Ung. Petitioning the court for the removal of Jeremy Taylor (or any county official) is part of Loomis’s job description. 

So, what’s the hold up?