SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota ethics board is keeping it a secret what action it took after finding there was evidence Gov. Kristi Noem improperly intervened in her daughter’s application for a real estate appraiser license.

A lawyer hired by the board, Mark Haigh, says that the “appropriate action” the board determined in the complaint will remain “confidential.”

The board appeared to let Noem decide whether to defend herself in a public hearing, known as a contested case hearing, or simply accept the “appropriate action” and let the matter quietly die.

Government ethics experts say the lack of transparency undermines public trust in the board.

Gov. Kristi Noem sued over release of travel expense records

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is facing a lawsuit after her office refused to release expense records on five out-of-state trips this year to a liberal watchdog group.

American Oversight is an organization that files open records requests and litigation against Republican officials. It filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Noem. She is in the midst of a reelection campaign and eyeing a bid for the GOP’s 2024 presidential ticket.

American Oversight alleges that the governor’s office did not follow the state’s open records law by claiming that releasing the records would create a threat to the governor’s safety.

In May, the organization had requested expense records, including lodging and travel, for Noem's 2022 trips.