South Dakota lawmakers to weigh whether seek AG impeachment

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Legislature will consider whether to try to impeach Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg for a car crash last year that killed a pedestrian, a House leader said.

Republican Speaker Spencer Gosch said Saturday that there is enough support in the state House to discuss impeachment. The state Senate had already gathered enough signatures to do so.

The impeachment discussions will take place when lawmakers are in Pierre for a special session that starts Nov. 9 to address the redrawing of the state’s 10-year electoral maps.

The move does not necessarily mean Ravnsborg, a Republican, will face impeachment proceedings, Gosch said. Once in session, lawmakers will have to decide on whether to consider a separate resolution to form a select committee to review evidence from the Sept. 12, 2020, crash, the Argus Leader reported.

Ravnsborg pleaded no contest to a pair of traffic misdemeanors for the crash that killed Joseph Boever, who was walking on the shoulder of a rural highway late at night. Ravnsborg was driving home from a Republican fundraiser, and he didn’t return to the crash scene until the next day, telling investigators he though he had struck a deer.

Ravnsborg avoided jail time and was sentenced to fines totaling over $4,500 for making an illegal lane change and using a cellphone while driving.

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has repeatedly called on Ravnsborg to resign. He has insisted that he will not, though, and that he can perform the duties of his office.

Leaders of the Republican-led Legislature decided that the names of the lawmakers who signed the petitions would not be made public.

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