File Photo: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem walks through the hotel hallway during at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones
By Mike Tanner, KWAT
WATERTOWN, S.D. (KWAT) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has not minced words throughout the potential impeachment of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, and she was very outspoken again Thursday on that topic during a stop in Watertown.
Noem reiterated her support for impeaching the attorney general, “based on how he’s conducting himself,” adding a number of law enforcement workers “said they have no faith in him.”
Noem said there’s a misperception among some people that the consideration of impeachment is determining criminal negligence. But she said that’s not the case.
“Everybody has accidents and terrible things happen. That’s not what this impeachment and his job is about,” Noem said. “What this decision is is ‘can he still be the top cop in the state?'”
“Any legislator that is saying it’s not an impeachable offense, they didn’t read the file,” Noem later added, saying Ravnsborg lied to law enforcement about the crash.
Noem defended her right to take a stance on the issue.
“I’m still a citizen of the United States. I still get an opinion,” Noem said. Everybody else in this country gets to have an opinion; I get to have one too.”
Noem said North Dakota investigators looked into the crash to make it more trustworthy to South Dakotans.
The House recently voted to send impeachment proceedings to the Senate, which will take up the matter June 21 and 22.
A two-thirds vote is required in the 35-member Senate to impeach Ravnsborg and remove him from office.
Ravnsborg was at the wheel of a car when he struck and killed a pedestrian just outside Highmore in September 2020.
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