South Dakota AG is ‘actively reviewing’ Kristi Noem’s 2020 meeting with state officials and her daughter: report

When far-right South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and her daughter, Kassidy Peters, met with two state employees in 2020, Peters was seeking a real estate appraiser license. Some South Dakota lawmakers, according to the Associated Press, have expressed concerns about that meeting — and on Tuesday, September 28, South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced that he will be reviewing it.

In an official statement, Ravnsborg said, "I have been contacted by concerned citizens and legislators. I am actively reviewing their concerns, and I will be following the steps prescribed in codified law in relation to those questions."

AP reporter Stephen Groves notes, "Noem held the meeting shortly after the state agency had moved to deny her daughter the license last year. Noem's daughter eventually received her license four months later. Afterward, the state employee who directed the agency was allegedly pressured to retire by Noem's cabinet secretary. The state employee, Sherry Bren, eventually received a $200,000 payment from the state to withdraw the complaint and leave her job."

According to Groves, "Ethics experts said the episode raised concerns that the governor had abused the power of her office."

The 49-year-old Noem, an aggressive supporter of former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, is up for reelection in 2022. And she is being mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate for 2024 — assuming that Trump doesn't run.