The House impeachment committee is requesting federal and out-of-state law enforcement help to investigate telemarketer calls.
Speaker of the House Spencer Gosch says the calls attempted to influence committee members about impeachment.
Last week, House lawmakers on the impeachment inquiry into Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg were flooded with pro-impeachment phone calls. Some came from South Dakotans about impeachment, but some on the committee say they spoke to the telemarketers directly, who were forwarding callers on to members of the committee.
“I answered over 24 of those phone calls," says Gosch, who is presiding over impeachment proceedings. “Of the 24, I only talked to three constituents. Other than that it was them calling me directly and giving me the speech as if I was the constituent. Then I would identify myself as 'I’m the individual that you’re probably trying to connect to.' It was, I want to say, how do I put it nicely? They were inept at best at their job.”
Gosch, along with members of the inquiry, want to know who hired the firm. The committee is seeking outside help and asking Attorney General Ravnsborg to recuse his office.
Gosch released four recordings made by members of the committee. Gosch says they’re recordings of calls from the telemarketing company Grand Solutions Inc., which was forwarding callers on to lawmakers on the committee.
A spokesperson for Grand Solutions told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader that Grand Solutions does not discuss clients with the media, but the company said the client responsible for the impeachment calls is not any politician, political campaign or political party.
Governor Kristi Noem has called for Ravnsborg’s resignation. She was asked about the telemarketer calls last week during a press conference.
“Not aware of their origins and wasn’t aware they were happening until the speaker texted me a couple days ago,” Noem said.
The committee is investigating Attorney General Ravnsborg’s conduct following his involvement in a 2020 vehicle crash that took the life of pedestrian Joe Boever.
The committee is set to meet again on Feb. 24.
