SD House committee points to ‘in office’ clause to clear AG

— Republicans on a South Dakota House committee want to clear the state’s attorney general of impeachment charges for his actions surrounding a 2020 fatal car crash, arguing that anything wrong he did was not part of his work “in office.” But those pushing to remove Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg from office are not giving up before the full House convenes in two weeks. Its 21-page majority report repeatedly cites a clause in the state constitution that says officials can be impeached for actions “in office” and argues most of Ravnsborg’s actions surrounding the crash were not done in his official capacity as attorney general or were not done with “an evil or corrupt motive.” The report clears Ravnsborg of anything that would merit impeachment in the September 2020 crash that killed Joseph Boever, who was walking near a rural highway. “The majority concluded a far narrower interpretation of impeachment power than it should have,” said Republican Rep. Will Mortenson, who brought articles of impeachment last year. The report also reveals GOP resentment toward Noem, spending four pages documenting her “interference in the criminal proceedings and the impeachment process.” The attorney general’s office on Tuesday said it will launch an investigation into whether state campaign finance disclosure laws were broken by a Noem-aligned organization that Even House Republican leader Rep. Kent Peterson, who supported articles of impeachment last year, voted for the report that cleared Ravnsborg.