The South Dakota House special committee weighing impeachment charges for Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg over his fatal car crash in 2020 held a lengthy public session on Tuesday.
The 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats on the committee spent hours questioning the law enforcement officers who investigated the accident and a specialist who analyzed it.
. Nearly all of the House investigative committee’s work had previously occurred behind closed doors.
Ravnsborg struck and killed a man walking along a rural stretch of highway in central South Dakota at night in September of 2020.
He eventually pleaded No Contest to a pair of driving misdemeanors and was given probation and about $4,600 in fines and restitution, but no jail time. He also didn’t attend any of the court sessions in his case.
Governor Kristi Noem and a number of members of the legislature are pushing for impeachment since Ravnsborg has refused to resign. He says he can still do his job despite the convictions.
Ravnsborg is running for a second term, but his immediate predecessor Marty Jackley entered the race after Ravnsborg refused to resign and has received endorsements from most of South Dakota’s GOP leaders.