SOUTH BEND — The ongoing scandal surrounding Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill could become one of the major issues in the upcoming Indiana legislative session, local representatives said Tuesday after a special prosecutor announced that Hill will face no criminal charges.
But Indiana Inspector General Lori Torres, whose office also investigated Hill, said in a report that “the public and others will judge whether the evidence in this case disqualifies Hill from holding elected office in the future.”
The public will have its chance to decide on Hill’s competency when he faces re-election in 2020.
But the “others” Torres mentioned could be the Indiana General Assembly if it launches an impeachment investigation against Hill. Or it could include the four women who accused Hill of groping them at a bar last March, who said Tuesday they will file a civil lawsuit against him.
Already, Hill has rejected calls for his resignation from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tem David Long.
On Tuesday, Long reiterated that call for Hill to resign, but noted that it appears Hill “has no intention to do so, and that is his decision alone to make at this time.”
If Hill indeed faces impeachment proceedings, it would be a nearly unprecedented step in the state’s history and one shrouded with uncertainty with regard to wording in the state constitution. Since the state’s current constitution was adopted in 1851, no state officer has been impeached and removed from office by the General Assembly.
“I don’t think it’s possible for the attorney general to continue to do his job for the state of Indiana in legal matters,” said Rep. Ryan Dvorak, D-South Bend.