A television report shows that before a committee formed to look into accusations two senators were drunk ever met, South Dakota Senate Republicans gathered in secret and decided what to do about the situation.
KELO-TV released a transcript of the private April 2020 meeting that showed the Republican caucus met to discuss how to quickly and quietly resolve a legislative investigation into Senator Kris Langer and Brock Greenfield.
Langer and Greenfield, the two most powerful senators at the time, were accused of showing up intoxicated at a legislative session that had stretched into the early morning hours discussing the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The transcript showed the caucus planned an already-negotiated outcome before the special committee investigating the incident had a chance to meet