S.D. Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) — Articles of impeachment have been filed against South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg.
Republican Representative Will Mortensen filed the articles on behalf of a bipartisan group of lawmakers. He said in a release that though he believes the Attorney General doesn’t belong in prison, he also doesn’t deserve to hold his current office either.
Ravnsborg was charged with three misdemeanors last week after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in September. Some state lawmakers and Gov. Kristi Noem later called for his resignation, a move that Ravnsborg says he won’t make.
A spokesperson for Noem told South Dakota Broadcasters Association her office supports the impeachment proceedings. House Majority Leader Kent Peterson and Minority Leader Jamie Smith also support the impeachment.
Ravnsborg’s office released a statement late Tuesday saying the attorney general does not intend to resign and “at no time has this issue impeded his ability to do the work of the office.”
The Senate would need a two-thirds majority vote to convict Ravnsborg. Read more about the process here.
The full press release from Mortenson is below:
“Earlier today, I filed a Resolution including Articles of Impeachment calling for the removal of Attorney
General Jason Ravnsborg from office. The decision was unpleasant and the situation is truly tragic, for all
involved.
The filing followed months of consideration and advice. Ultimately, I felt that while the charging decision
may have been correct, the Attorney General owes a higher duty to the Laws of the State of South Dakota
and the People of the State of South Dakota. In his actions on the night of September 12, 2020 and
following the incident, Attorney General Ravnsborg breached that duty and has lost the confidence of the
people of South Dakota. When that happens, I believe the legislature has an obligation to exercise its
constitutional authority to remove him from office.
There are several aspects that I’d like you to know about the decision.
First, I have no axe to grind with Attorney General Ravnsborg. I have always had a good relationship with
him. This is not political and it is not personal. Again, I do not believe Attorney General Ravnsborg belongs
in prison, but I know he does not belong in the Office of the Attorney General anymore.
Second, removal from office is an exceptional mechanism and should only be used in exceptional cases.
In Washington, DC, they use impeachment to further political agendas and carry out partisan missions. In
South Dakota, we should only use this in grave circumstances. In this case, a state official caused the death
of a citizen and failed to comport himself in the standards we expect following the incident. Our state has
never had such an occurrence, where the elected official refused to resign. In short, this is clearly an
exceptional case.
Finally, the Attorney General is a member of the same party as me and I know him. Those facts cannot
dissuade me from making this decision. We need to put principle and our people ahead of politics or our
party. In South Dakota, the fact that we are in the same party means that my colleagues and I have had a
lot of opportunities to spend time with Attorney General Ravnsborg. That makes this a very uncomfortable
exercise, and I would ask that all members are afforded grace in their decision-making.”
Republican Representative Will Mortenson (District 24) has filed a resolution proposing two Articles of
Impeachment to remove Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg from office. The resolution is co-sponsored
by House Majority Leader Kent Peterson (R-District 19) and House Minority Leader Jamie Smith (D-
District 15).
“The Attorney General has a special obligation to follow the laws and protect the public,” said
Mortenson. “Jason Ravnsborg’s actions and statements related to the death of Joseph Boever breached
those obligations to the people of South Dakota, and he should be removed from office.”
Article XVI of the South Dakota Constitution grants the House of Representatives the sole authority to
bring an impeachment action against a state official like the Attorney General. The resolution included
two separate Articles of Impeachment, one concerning the crimes and misdemeanors that caused the
death of Joseph Boever on September 12, 2020 and one concerning the statements and actions of Jason
Ravnsborg in reporting the crime and the resulting investigation.
“This isn’t about party or politics. It’s about doing the right thing for South Dakota,” said Peterson. “We
must hold our elected leaders to a high standard. In this case, the Attorney General has failed to meet
that standard, and we owe it to the people to bring these Articles,” Peterson added.
“What happened was a tragedy for all involved,” said Smith. “However, that cannot deter us from
fulfilling our duties. The Attorney General has lost the confidence of the people of South Dakota, and he
should be removed from office for the betterment of the state.”
(Patrick Callahan, South Dakota Broadcasters Association, contributed to this report.)
