- A South Dakota ethics board says Gov. Kristi Noem may have “engaged in misconduct”.
- The board is looking into her role in her daughter’s real estate license application.
- It referred a separate complaint over her state airplane use to the state’s attorney general for investigation.
Gov. Kristi Noem may have “engaged in misconduct” when she interfered with her daughter’s application, for a real estate appraiser licence. The board also referred a separate complaint about her use of the state aeroplane to the attorney general of the state for investigation.
The Government Accountability Board’s three retired judges said that Noem may face “proper punishment”. Due to her involvement in her daughter’s licence as an appraiser. Albeit they did not define what that penalty should be.
The board’s actions could have a negative impact on the Noem investigations. The Republican governor is up for reelection this year and has declared her candidacy for president in 2024.
She is being investigated by the board as a result of charges made by Jason Ravnsborg. The state’s former Republican attorney general, resulting from media coverage on Noem’s activities while in office. She has denied doing anything improper.
The board unanimously decided to use the procedures that provide a contested case hearing after meeting in closed-door session for an hour on Monday to offer Noem a chance to publicly refute accusations of “misconduct” involving “conflicts of interest” and “malfeasance.” The board also rejected Ravnsborg’s claims that Noem had abused state resources during the incident.
The retiring judges did not specify how they intend to proceed, though. The complaint was “partially dismissed and partially closed,” according to board chair Lori Wilbur, who also noted that it may be reopened. She refused to comment on the circumstances under which the board would reopen the complaint.
The board has the authority to chastise someone in public or private or to order them to perform community service. It can also give suggestions to the governor, though that choice doesn’t appear plausible given that Noem is the target of the grievances.
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