Joint statement from John Edwards and Taylor Dahlin.
Becka Thompson, a candidate for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 12, has obtained subpoenas against us for the production of documents and financial records related to a website critical of her candidacy. We have no financial records to produce because we have nothing to do with the website.
In a separate complaint with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, Thompson has essentially alleged that we created or are participating in a “conspiracy” involving an unregistered campaign committee that has failed to file financial reports, or provide disclosures on materials critical of her candidacy. This is not true, because we have nothing to do with the website or other materials she objects to.
As independent journalists we know ourselves to be protected by the Minnesota Free Flow of Information Act. We have obtained legal representation to fight the OAH subpoena and the CFB complaint. Any information we have that may point to the identity of the person or persons behind the website was obtained during the normal course of our work. This work is protected by the powerful privilege against disclosure contained in the Act.
Thompson’s CFB complaint also says, “John Edwards, the host of the WedgeLIVE! podcast, and the owner of WedgeLIVE!, called Ms. Thompson, ‘a maniac’, ‘a performer’, and the ‘weirdest, worst member of the Park Board.’” John believes these statements are backed up by the wild narrative in Thompson’s own complaint and will swear by the truthfulness of his comments under penalty of perjury if necessary.
We believe Thompson, currently an elected official serving on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, is abusing this process to harass independent journalists for critical things we have said under our own names and on our own platforms. We look forward to engaging with OAH and CFB’s processes to prove Thompson’s claims are completely baseless.
You can read our motion to quash and other documents in the OAH case below.
Thompson v. Doe, OAH File No. 28-0325-40782