UPDATED- The full South Dakota House of Representatives voted today April 12, 2022, in the matter of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg's impeachment.

Ravnsborg, who was acquitted in a court of law for the murder of Joe Boever, was then challenged by Gov. Kristi Noem, as being "unfit for office". A Special Committee on Investigations then launched a full scale investigation of their own, to determine if Ravnsborg had acted in a manner that would warrant impeachment.

The special committee released their findings last week, and found the Attorney General innocent of acting in a manner that would warrant his impeachment.

South Dakota Speaker of the House, Spencer Gosch (R-Glenham) tells The Dakota Leader, "I stand behind the facts of the committee report."

Today, the full House of 70 Representatives voted to recommend impeachment 36-31, with three members excused.

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36 South Dakota Democratic Representatives, along with a divided Republican caucus voted a "do pass" recommendation to a full Senate impeachment trial.

Representative Tom Pischke (R-Dell Rapids), who voted against the impeachment recommendation. Pischke tells The Dakota Leader, "Regardless of how you feel about Jason Ravensborg, it's a somber day for South Dakota."

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg would be the first elected official in the state of South Dakota to ever be impeached, setting a new precedent for the state.

Ravnsborg has been immediately suspended as the result of today's vote. However the Senate is not able to move forward for another 21 days.

An acting Attorney General will most likely be appointed, until a final determination is made. A.G. Ravnsborg was investigating Governor Noem, and one of her top political donors, Denny Sanford. With the suspension of Ravnsborg, it's unclear what will happen to these pending investigations, or the litigation Ravnsborg has pursued on behalf of residents, such as vaccine mandates.

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Editor's Note- It was previously stated that Governor Kristi Noem had requested the impeachment, and that she would appoint an acting Attorney General. The article has been updated to reflect corrections. We thank our readers for sending us accurate details. If you ever see a correction, please let us know! Editor@DakotaLeader.com

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--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-04-12 15:03:31

Last Update: 2022-04-21 21:10:53