INDIANAPOLIS (Network Indiana): Governor Holcomb still wants Attorney General Curtis Hill to resign over groping accusations, but he’s staying out of the discussion of whether he should be impeached.
The governor has no direct role in impeachment proceedings other than to call a special session if legislators aren’t already meeting.
Holcomb quickly called on Hill to step down this summer after revelations three legislative staffers and a State Representative had accused him of inappropriate touching, but deferred any comment on impeachment until Inspector General Lori Torres and a special prosecutor completed their investigations. Those findings were announced Tuesday, with Torres and prosecutor Dan Sigler both announcing they found the women’s stories credible and corroborated, but too difficult to prove.
Three House Democrats have said they’ll introduce an impeachment resolution when the General Assembly convenes next month. Holcomb, Senate President Pro Tem David Long, House Speaker Brian Bosma, and House Minority Leader Terry Goodin have all renewed their calls for Hill to resign.
“It would be the right thing to do, given what the reports have validated,” Holcomb said. “All have said they believe the victims’ claims were true, and I subscribe to that belief too.”
Holcomb instituted a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment in executive branch agencies in March. As an elected official, Hill doesn’t fall under those policies — Holcomb suggests if he did, the accusations might cost him his job. And he says elected officeholders should be subject to a higher standard than other state employees.
