South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is being accused of abusing the power of her office by the state’s former attorney general, Jason Ravnsborg.
The Washington Examiner reports:
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem allegedly used her office for personal gain by interfering with her state’s assessment of her daughter, according to former state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg. The former attorney general appeared before the South Dakota Government Accountability Board on Monday to speak on the matter, a week after he was impeached and removed from office for his handling of a fatal 2020 crash.
“Now we have a process for impeachment, and potentially, that goes along with what we’re doing upstairs here,” Ravnsborg told the Argus Leader.
Ravnsborg filed a pair of complaints against Noem in 2021 to the GAO, alleging abuse. One complaint claimed that Noem interfered with the state agency’s evaluation of her daughter’s real estate appraiser license. Noem is also accused of using her state’s air fleet to travel to personal and political functions.
It is unclear if the GAO intends to take any action against Noem. However, Ravnsborg urged the GAO to use a report issued by a legislative panel regarding the allegations involving the appraiser program.
In April, the former South Dakota attorney general was impeached after he struck and killed a pedestrian in 2020.