Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

South Dakota attorney general to probe ethics complaint against governor Kristi Noem

Noem is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate

Eric Garcia
Tuesday 23 August 2022 10:27 EDT
Comments
South Dakota governor says abused children can't get abortions in state

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The South Dakota attorney general’s office has announced it will investigate an ethics complaint against Governor Kristi Noem, a potential Republican candidate for president in 2024, The Argus Leader reported.

South Dakota’s Government Accountability Board voted to refer one of two ethics complaints against the governor to the attorney general’s office. The board examined two complaints – one that Ms Noem used the state airplane for personal purposes and another alleging that she used her position to help her daughter in the state’s real estate appraiser program.

It is unclear which complaint would move forward and which one the board partially closed because “appropriate action” had been taken. The board considers the complaints confidential.

Portions of the complaint will be made public after it is redacted. State Senator Reynold Nesiba, a Democrat, initiated the complaint about Ms Noem’s use of the state airplane.

“It shouldn't take a legislative complaint to the AG, who then sends the investigation to the GAB, to assess whether our elected leaders are appropriately using public resources,” he said. He also criticised the board’s lack of transparency.

“They should be able to have public hearings where they can tell the public what issues are under consideration and investigation,” he said.

Ms Noem is often considered a potential candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination. She chose not to close the state throughout the coronavirus pandemic and is considered an ally of former president Donald Trump, having spoken at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

But she faced scrutiny after Sherry Bren, who led the certification program, retired in March 2021 after she had a closed-door meeting with Ms Noem and the governor’s daughter.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in