Sioux Falls, South Dakota (AP) — South Dakota’s Ethics Commission found sufficient information on Monday that Gov. said he did. Another complaint about her state’s use of planes has been submitted to the state’s attorney general for investigation.
Three former government accountability commission judges ruled that “appropriate action” could be taken for Noem’s obtaining his daughter’s appraiser license, but did not give specifics. I did.
The board move could magnify the impact of the investigation on Noem. The Republican governor faces re-election this year and has also established himself as the 2024 White House candidate. She is under scrutiny from the board after the state’s former Republican Attorney General, Jason Ravensborg, filed a complaint stemming from media reports of her actions. at the company. she denied her wrongdoing.
After meeting in an hour-long closed-door session on Monday, the board unanimously offered Mr. Noem, who denied wrongdoing, an opportunity to publicly defend himself against allegations of “wrongdoing” related to the misconduct. voted to invoke procedures to enable hearings of contested cases to give “Conflict of Interest” and “Misconduct”. The board also dismissed Ravensbaugh’s claim that Noem misused state funds in the episode.
However, the retired judge remained unclear as to how they would proceed. However, she added that complaints could be reopened.
The board may issue public or private disciplinary action or direct public servants to perform community service. We could also make a recommendation to the governor, but that option is unlikely as complaints are leveled against Noem.
The Associated Press first reported that the governor took a hands-on role in a state agency shortly after moving to deny his daughter’s appraiser license application in 2020. Noem said his daughter, secretary of labor, and then- There, plans were discussed to give the governor’s daughter, Cassidy Peters, another chance to demonstrate that she could meet federal standards in the work of an appraiser.
The complaint has proven to be the first major test of the commission, which was set up in 2017 in response to several state government scandals. neither.
The retired judge also referred the complaint that Noem attended a political event on a state-owned plane to the state attorney general’s office for further investigation. was to supervise
Vargo said he would not withdraw from the investigation and would even keep his office’s work on the matter confidential.
“We take our duties seriously and thoroughly investigate the complaints filed by the General Accountability Committee with the Office of the Attorney General,” he said in a statement. No other comments at this time. ”
The board handled complaints by case number only and did not refer directly to Noem in either case. Ravnsborg provided the case number to her Associated Press.
“Knowing what I know as a plaintiff, Governor Noem should be fully investigated for abuse of power in obtaining his daughter’s appraiser’s license and that Governor Noem He should be charged with criminally using state resources for profit,” he said. in a statement.
The board plans to issue a public complaint about Noem’s appraiser license after editing several sections. Didn’t give a date for when that would happen.
Noem and Ravnsborg have been political enemies since he fatally injured a pedestrian in 2020. Noem pressed for his removal, and the state Senate convicted him of impeachment and removed him as Attorney General. As a citizen, he continued to file complaints.
Noem did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Nome’s office said plans to give Peters another chance were already underway ahead of a meeting in the governor’s office, but the agency’s head, Sherry Bullen, told the legislative committee last year that Said he felt “intimidated” during the governor’s meeting, the mansion where Peters’ failed application was discussed in detail. The Republican-controlled legislative committee that investigated the episode concluded that Peters received special treatment.
Bullen was also pressured to retire in late 2020, eventually receiving a $200,000 settlement to withdraw his age discrimination complaint.
Another of the former attorney general’s complaints is that in 2019 Noem used a state-owned plane to travel to events hosted by political organizations such as the National Rifle Association and the Republican Jewish Union, according to online news website Raw Story. It caught fire after being discovered. Prevent aircraft from being used for purposes other than national operations.
Noem said he was attending the event as an ambassador for the state.
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