On Wednesday, a Democratic lawmaker called for an investigation into South Dakota Republican Gov. Christy Noem’s trip to Texas for dental work and a promotional video in which she praised doctors for giving her “a smile I can be proud of and I can be confident.”
State Sen. Reynold Nesiba said he initially found the nearly five-minute video just plain weird. He later considered other issues and asked the Republican co-chairs of the Legislative Audit and Government Operations Committee to put the issue on the agenda for the panel’s next meeting in July for discussion and questions.
“I just thought it was a very strange video about how much she likes having her teeth done in that particular place,” said Nesiba, a member of the audit committee.
Nesiba said she wonders if Noem used a state plane or public funds for the trip to Texas and if the governor paid for the dental procedure or if it was discounted because of her video.
Noem’s office did not respond to questions Wednesday about a promotional video posted Monday night on her personal X account in which she praises the dentists and staff at Smile Texas, a cosmetic dentistry practice in the Houston area.
In the video, Noem complimented the dentists who recently “gave me a smile I can be proud of and have confidence in.” Noem, who was considered a potential vice presidential pick by former President Donald Trump, identified herself as the governor of South Dakota and included clips of her speaking at a Republican Party event with Trump signs in the background.
A woman who answered the phone at Smile Texas cited privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in response to The Associated Press’ request to speak with a member of the practice. When asked if Smile Texas planned to use Noem’s video for promotion, the woman said, “No, she posted it,” then hung up when asked again.
South Dakota law prohibits gifts of more than $100 from lobbyists to public officials and their immediate families. The offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine. The attorney general’s office declined to answer questions about whether the gift ban applies to people who are not registered lobbyists.
Noem’s video, in which the governor says she went to Smile because it’s “the best,” comes as South Dakota has spent $5 million on a job-recruiting ad campaign in which she’s featured in TV spots. videos posing as a plumber, electrician, nurse and other highly sought after workers. In one ad, Noem depicts a blue-robed dentist speaking over a patient with a dental instrument in hand amid the sound of a drill.
Nesiba said the dentist’s promotion “simply undermines the millions of dollars we’ve invested in her as South Dakota’s speaker.”
Paul Miskimmins, a Republican former state legislator who practiced dentistry for 37 years in South Dakota, said he saw nothing wrong with Noem seeking care out of state, noting that he sought dental care from a friend in Canada. Miskimmins added that celebrities often give referrals for dental work, and he doesn’t see why a public official can’t do the same.
“I think this is America and we all have the right to choose where we get our care,” Miskimmins said.
Noem has faced ethics issues before, including a 2019 investigation into her use of state aircraft to attend six events outside of South Dakota hosted by political organizations, including the Republican Governors Association, the Republican Jewish Coalition, Turning Point USA and the National Rifle Association. At the time, the governor’s office defended the trips as part of her work as a state “ambassador” to strengthen the state’s economy.
Noem was also criticized for having family members join her on several trips. But her office said that was consistent with precedent set by former governors.
After all, the South Dakota Board of Ethics rejected the appeal over Noem’s flights to the 2022 political events because state law does not clearly define what is meant by “state business.”
But the state ethics commission said Noem may be ‘involved in misconduct’ when she interfered with her daughter’s request for a real estate appraiser license.
The governor intervened with a state agency after it denied her daughter’s application for an appraiser license in 2020. Noem called a meeting with her daughter, the secretary of labor and the then-director of the appraiser certification program, where a plan was discussed to gave the governor’s daughter, Cassidy Peters, another chance to show she can meet federal standards in her job as an appraiser.
Noem said she followed the law in processing her daughter’s license and that Peters received no special treatment.
Voters re-elected her in 2022 with 62% of the vote.
Michael Card, a political science professor emeritus at the University of South Dakota, said he had no idea of the governor’s motivation for the video, but found it puzzling.
“It just seems unusual for an elected official in office to make an ad like that,” he said.
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Dura reported from Bismarck, North Dakota, and Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.
