Are Sommers and the SLLF tied to China?

From Dawn Marquard, Lincoln County Republican Precinct Committeewoman 1-8:

During election seasons, it is a common refrain for incumbent politicians to encourage constituents to come directly to them with questions about their voting records and integrity, while vehemently denying any involvement in statements made by a PAC. After stumbling upon an allegation concerning my house district representative's ties to China, I delved into a thorough investigation that unearthed concerning information involving several current and former legislators. The findings have raised numerous pressing questions that demand answers.

Recently, on July 17, 2024, Senate District 14 candidate Albert Sommers made a post on his political Facebook page directing followers to his new website. Interestingly, while listing his organizational affiliations, he conspicuously omitted a significant detail - his position as one of the 43 members on the Board of Directors of the prestigious State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF). The SLLF, with documented connections to the Chinese Communist Party, brings together state legislators and corporate entities from across the USA and internationally, holding meetings globally. In fact, its advisory board includes mega social media empires including TikTok and META (Facebook) as well as several Big Pharma entities. Bill Gates is also an advisory board member of the SLLF. This is easily verifiable with a quick google search of "SLLF." Despite its claims of not engaging in lobbying efforts, the foundation is believed to function as a conduit connecting corporate donors with state lawmakers, as highlighted in emails from Hunter Biden's laptop obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, which you can find by a quick search.

Further investigation revealed a list of past and present Wyoming legislators who have been associated with the SLLF, prompting concerns about lingering influences from their involvement.

As a neutral observer, my observations indicate that the SLLF operates as a networking intermediary benefiting both big businesses and state legislators, providing a platform for corporations to propose benefits to states based on legislators' actions on specific legislation. Exactly how it benefits Wyoming people remains a mystery, one which nobody including Albert Sommers wants to talk about much.

Key questions arise from this situation.

Why did Speaker Sommers delay in disclosing his SLLF affiliation until recently?

How did he secure a position on the SLLF Board, and was he recruited to influence legislation in favor of donors and the CCP due to Wyoming's natural resource wealth?

How exactly is he benefitting us by being on this board, or is he not acting in our best interest, explaining why he never told us was a director on this powerful entity until he was caught being on it?

Is he on the board to promote Governor Gordons "Net Zero," green energy agenda? Interesting fun fact, the SLLF held its December 2023 Meeting in Dubai in conjunction with the UN's COP 28. This tidbit goes a long way to give you an idea on what this SLLF organization is aligning itself with.

It is crucial for voters to scrutinize the evidence, conduct independent research, and question the transparency and integrity of Speaker Sommers and other legislators up for re-election. The future of Wyoming and its citizens hinges on informed decision-making at the ballot box.

Your vote is your voice, shaping the direction of Wyoming's sovereignty and future. I implore you to examine the evidence, conduct thorough research, and hold elected officials accountable for their actions and associations.

From Albert Sommers, House District 20, Speaker of the House:

Recently my opponent posted a rant from one of her Freedom Caucus friends who insisted I was tied to the Chinese Communist Party because I am a board member of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. What is the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF)? Established in 1972, it is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the effectiveness of state legislative leadership across the United States.

Founded on the principles of impartiality and integrity, the SLLF brings together U.S. legislative leaders from all political backgrounds to foster collaboration, share best practices, and enhance governance. SLLF's mission is to support and strengthen the leadership skills of state legislators, ensuring they can serve their constituents effectively.

The State Legislative Leaders Foundation, much like the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Council of State Governments (CSG), is designed to provide information on the most pressing issues facing state legislatures, and to provide networking of ideas among state legislators. All of these organizations seek funding from American businesses to host conferences.

This spring, I attended an SLLF conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Stanford University. This conference hosted a myriad of speakers who talked about what AI is, auditing of AI, ethics of AI, bias in AI, and finally state and international policy around regulation of AI. Interestingly, the researcher on bias in AI concluded in his study that AI had a left leaning bias. I learned a tremendous amount about Artificial Intelligence. The 2023 National Speakers Conference was also focused on Artificial Intelligence.

The SLLF fosters leadership through civility and mutual respect, which are the keys to solving the hardest problems facing a state. Recently, I learned that a Wyoming State Senator had said that civility was a liberal concept. I totally disagree. Civility is neither liberal nor conservative, but engages the better part of our humanity to work with each other, which is essential on a daily basis.

I was asked to serve on the SLLF board of directors because I believe that civility and respect are critical for solving problems, and that our state legislative institutions are far more important than any single issue or our own individual moment in the sun. I believe in becoming educated about the most difficult issues facing states. I was voted onto the board last fall.

Any suggestions that the SLLF is influenced by foreign governments, including the People's Republic of China, are categorically false and in fact laughable. The SLLF operates with complete independence, guided solely by the goal of advancing democratic governance and public service excellence. This humbug about Communist China is just the latest desperate fabrication that the Freedom Caucus and its surrogates have cooked up, much like my opponent's belief in the "Chem Trail" conspiracy. When a campaign has nothing substantive to offer citizens, it relies on innuendo, fear-mongering, and bald-faced lies in an attempt to pull the opposition down. The Freedom Caucus churns out lies because it has nothing to offer Wyoming.