South Dakota lawmaker calls Mount Rushmore demonic portal for communism 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – A member of South Dakota’s House of Representatives went on a podcast and claimed that Mount Rushmore is a “freemason shrine” and a portal for demonic entities to enter and spread communism throughout the country. 

“What the Lord has revealed to me is that Mount Rushmore has a direct ley line to Washington, D.C.,” Joe Donnell, a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, said in a May 31 episode of the "Now Is the Time" podcast. “In order to understand the spiritual realm of what we’re facing, we have to realize that in order for the enemy to do anything, it needs the agreement of human beings. In order to be empowered to do more damage he needs the agreement of human beings and oftentimes that comes in the form of an altar that acts as a portal for other demonic things. What we’re really dealing with in that portal is communism. That witchcraft, altar, those things that are happening in the Black Hills, what we’re dealing with is communism. It’s the ideology and all the demonic entities and spirits behind that.”

Donnell's remarks recently went viral after a clip from the podcast was shared to Twitter by @RightWingWatch. The video had over half a million views as of Wednesday afternoon.

Donnell, who was elected to the South Dakota House in 2022, is also a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe. The land that Mount Rushmore was built on is considered sacred to Native Americans. 

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial said it would not respond to Donnell’s comments. 

The podcast, titled “State Representative Joe Donnell From South Dakota Sharing Vital Info About Heavens Opening,” was published to promote a religious event called “Open the Heavens: Let God Arise” in Rapid City. Donnell was listed as a guest speaker for the event. 

Meri Crouley, the host of the "Now Is the Time" podcast, is also the organizer of the "Open the Heavens" conference. Crouley’s podcast covers theories concerning the deep state, COVID-19 vaccines and former President Donald Trump’s indictment. 

Nexstar's KELO reached out to Donnell for comment but has not yet heard back.

South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Jennifer Slaight-Hansen sent a letter asking Gov. Kristi Noem to renounce the statements by Donnell. (Noem, meanwhile, had recently signed an executive proclamation that proclaimed June 3, 2023, as “Open the Heavens Day.”)

“I have two questions: 1) is Governor Noem in agreement with Rep. Donnell's statement that Mt. Rushmore is a portal that is spreading communism throughout America, and 2) if not, will she publicly repudiate him?" Slaight-Hansen said in the letter. 

Donnell was elected during the general election in November 2022. He also ran for the District 1 Senate seat and lost in the Republican primary. The South Dakota Republican Party chose Donnell to replace Logan Manhart on the 2022 general election ballot for District 1 House after Manhart withdrew from the race. 

Donnell’s comments come to light after the National Park Services denied Gov. Noem’s request for fireworks at Mount Rushmore for a third year in a row due to objections from Native Americans who recognize the land as sacred to the Lakota Sioux tribe. 

Lakota people refer to the area in the Black Hills as “Paha Sapa,” or “the heart of everything that is.” 

In 2022, Harold Frazier, the chairman of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association, spoke with KELO about the tribal councils’ objections to fireworks at Mount Rushmore, during which he mentioned the importance of the land. 

“It shouldn’t be disturbed in any way, you know, we love the peace and the tranquility of the Hills,” Frazier said. “I mean, many times we go out there for our prayers and for our medicines and things like that."