Even though he thinks he should resign, Governor Eric Holcomb is staying out of the discussion of whether Attorney General Curtis Hill 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 East Chicago Representative Mara Candelaria-Reardon 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 announcing they found the women’s stories credible and corroborated, but too difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to warrant criminal charges.
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. But Holcomb says he won’t interfere with legislators’ prerogative to consider impeachment.
Three House Democrats have said they’ll introduce an impeachment resolution when the General Assembly convenes next month.
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.