South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem asked a state ethics board to dismiss a complaint against her without a public hearing and to seal off certain records, documents released Friday by the state’s Government Accountability Board show. The Republican governor, who is widely seen as eyeing a 2024 White House bid, argued in an April motion…
On Aug. 22, a state ethics board referred a complaint to the Division of Criminal Investigations for an investigation into whether Gov. Kristi Noem had misused the state airplane. Shortly thereafter, calls began coming in for Mark Vargo, the Noem-appointed interim attorney general, to recuse himself from the investigation. On Sept. 9, Vargo obliged.
After an ethics board referred a complaint alleging Gov. Kristi Noem used the state airplane for personal use, AG Mark Vargo has recused himself from the investigation.