House lawmakers are introducingarticles of impeachment against Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg for his involvement in a fatal car crash last September.
The action came after Governor Kristi Noem asked Ravnsborg to resign. And as the Department of Public Safety released video of a police interview with Ravnsborg the day after the crash.
There are two articles to impeach the attorney general.
Ravnsborg faces three misdemeanors, but no felonies from a crash that killed Highmore resident Joseph Boever last September. Authorities say Boever was walking on the shoulder of the highway the night of the crash.
The articles are co-sponsored by house majority and minority leaders. They say the attorney general must be removed from office for the fatal crash and for “unbecoming” actions Ravnsborg took following the incident.
Republican Representative Will Mortenson is bringing the impeachment articles. He says the incident was tragedy that took the life of a South Dakotan from his district.
“I don’t think that Jason Ravsnborg belongs in jail or prison, but I do think he doesn’t belong in the office of attorney general anymore,” Mortenson says. “This is something that I spent a lot of time thinking about and seeking counsel broadly from a number of different groups and types of people. It’s not something I do lightly. It really is the most difficult decision I’ve made in my entire life.”
A spokesperson for Ravnsborg says the Attorney General does not intend to resign. He says at no time has this issue impeded Ravnsborg’s ability to do the work of the office.
Democrat Jamie Smith says Ravsnborg has lost the confidence of the people of South Dakota.
“I’m hearing from constituents it is a distraction,” Smith says. “As far as I’m concerned and watching it, it would be hard for me to understand that the attorney general can do the job in the full capacity given the situation that we’re in.”
Impeachment requires a simple majority in the House. Conviction requires two-thirds of Senate members. This is the first time that articles of impeachment have been issued against a constitutional officer in South Dakota.
