New ethics board thrust into Kristi Noem inquiry
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The four retired judges who make up South Dakota's Government Accountability Board usually meet just a handful of times a year, almost entirely unnoticed by the public, and have never advanced a complaint to a public hearing.
They're now preparing for the high-profile task of weighing whether Gov. Kristi Noem twice abused the power of her office.
The board is barely 4 years old, created by the Legislature after public pressure for ethics reforms in state government. It has met a total of 17 times, dismissing most complaints without a public hearing on the grounds that they fell outside its specific purpose to “review and investigate allegations of misconduct” by officials holding a statewide office or by executive branch employees.
WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST NOEM?
Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg — a Republican like Noem, but no ally of the governor's — referred two matters to the board. The first is a request from a Democratic lawmaker for an investigation into whether Noem's use of state airplanes broke the law; the other is concerns about whether the governor interfered in a state agency that was evaluating her daughter's application for a real estate appraiser license.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/explainer-new-ethics-board-thrust-into-kristi-noem-inquiry/ar-AAPjsXS
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