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(The Center Square) – Kirk Bangstad, unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin, is lashing-out at what he sees as Democrats’ meddling in the race for governor.

He is accusing Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tony Evers, of trying to alter Francesca Hong's momentum because she is a Democratic Socialist. On social media, Bangstad in part called Evers a "cynical corporate" Democrat, said Evers was scared of the party nominating Hong because it could give the November race to Republican Tom Tiffany, and said corporate Democrats "have no faith Wisconsinites will vote for an affordability message."

He said it was sickening.

Bangstad did not get enough signatures to make the Aug. 11 primary.

Bangstad used his megaphone to criticize David Crowley reentering the race, said Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders should have been the Democrats' nominee in 2020 and 2016, and said Evers' endorsement of Crowley was intended to hurt Hong.

Bangstad said "making backroom deals to advance less popular candidates" is a losing strategy that disenfranchises progressives.

The Trump administration continues its multifaceted approach to border security and national security, including its concerted effort to denaturalize citizenship of convicted criminals.

The administration argues it’s the “largest denaturalization effort ever” in the history of the country.

The most recent 10 denaturalization actions have been filed in federal courts in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington.

Cases were brought against men from Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland and Peru who were “accused of serious offenses – including sexual abuse of a child, health care and wire fraud, immigration fraud, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine,” the Department of Justice announced.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and their certificate of naturalization canceled, if they obtained it through illegal means, including concealing material facts or willfully misrepresenting them. Those with criminal records are prohibited from obtaining citizenship, including felonies, violent crimes and any terrorist connections.

The latest group slated for denaturalization include “child sex abusers, a $900,000 Medicare fraudster, and a cocaine trafficker” and others who “lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said. They each “lacked the good moral character required by law and procured citizenship through willful misrepresentations and concealment of their crimes.” The Department of Justice “will continue to aggressively pursue denaturalization to restore integrity to America’s naturalization process,” he said.

One includes a Cuban man who operated a purported medical clinic, submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare in excess of $886,694, concealed the crime during his naturalization process and provided false testimony under oath. He pleaded guilty and was convicted of conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud.

Two Mexican men on the list include those who lied on their citizenship application that they never committed a crime for which they were arrested when one had been sentenced to 100 months in prison on cocaine charges and the other was convicted of 19 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, including his neighbors’ 7- and 8-year-old daughters.

Other Mexican men misrepresented or concealed criminal activity on their applications, including one who served jail time for carrying a concealed firearm and for grand theft; a priest convicted of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 15 years in prison; one who committed identity theft to secure citizenship; and a convicted child abuser.

A Pakistani man slated for denaturalization “filed multiple applications for immigration benefits under different aliases” and fraudulently received multiple immigration benefits until a fingerprint expert identified the fraud. He pleaded guilty 12 years ago but was never denaturalized or deported.

A Peruvian man is also being denaturalized after he “repeatedly sexually abused his minor stepdaughter prior to naturalizing as a U.S. citizen” 11 years ago. He was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

A Polish former Roman Catholic priest is also being denaturalized after he concealed criminal activity on his citizenship application, including defrauding three parishes in the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, of nearly $260,000 in cash and secretly recording a 17-year-old showering during a church trip to Poland. He was convicted of multiple federal offenses, including wire fraud, making and subscribing a false tax return, and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place involving a minor.

The denaturalization actions allege they all illegally procured U.S. citizenship.

Last month, 17 were identified to be denaturalized after being convicted of violent crimes, including child sex abuse, as well as wire and bank fraud, among other crimes.

They are from Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico, Yugoslavia, Jamaica, India, Dominican Republic, Somalia, China, Congo, Trinidad and Tobago and the Philippines. They are being prosecuted in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada and New Jersey, The Center Square reported.

In May, the DOJ moved to denaturalize 12 individuals for their support of terrorism, involvement in illegal arms deals and weapons smuggling, and a range of fraud crimes.

They are from Iraq, Colombia, Morocco, Somalia, Gambia, Bolivia, Uzbekistan, Kenya, India, China and Nigeria. Their cases are being prosecuted in Arizona, Florida, California, Minnesota, Kentucky, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Illinois.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin voters could be subject to prosecution and their vote will not count if they place a wager on a prediction market on an election result and then attempt to vote in that election.

The Wisconsin Election Commission noted two state statutes, one which states that someone cannot vote in an election after wagering on the results and another that says it is a felony to intentionally vote in an election that they are not qualified to vote in.

“We want voters to understand that they cannot legally make a bet on an election and cast a ballot in that same election,” Administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a statement. “We are not able to police someone placing a bet on these platforms, but it’s important for voters to understand the consequences if they bet on an election outcome.”

The commission specifically named Kalshi and Polymarket as notable prediction markets with the option to wager on election results.

The prediction markets say that they are different than sports wagering because the markets are peer to peer instead of placing wagers where the company holds the other side of the wager.

A voter who wagers on a prediction market and then votes could be subject to voter qualification administrative challenges and cases could then be referred to a district attorney, the elections commission said.

There are no federal laws regarding prediction markets and elections but 23 states have laws related to prediction markets and elections.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers previously created an executive order barring executive branch employees from disclosing or using any nonpublic information to profit from prediction markets.