Oregon Secretary of State Calls Situation Involving Governor A ‘Bizarre and Unprecedented Situation’
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Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. Photo by Anthony Pidgeon/Redferns(PORTLAND, Ore.) — Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown issued a statement on Thursday regarding the “bizarre and unprecedented situation” involving Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, who is under pressure to resign his position in light of a conflict-of-interest controversy involving himself, his fiancee and two past campaign staffers.
According to The Oregonian, the staffers allegedly arrange for Kitzhaber’s fiancee to work jobs with groups who had business before the state. Kitzhaber’s fiancee, Cylvia Hayes, was also acting as an unpaid energy advisor while she held jobs with a pair of nonprofits focusing on energy and jobs.
On Thursday, Brown released a statement saying that she had received a call from Kitzhaber Tuesday asking her to return from a Secretaries of State conference in Washington. “He asked me to come back to Oregon as soon as possible to speak with him in person and alone,” Brown says.
“I got on a plane [Wednesday] morning and arrived at 3:40 in the afternoon,” she said. “I was escorted directly into a meeting with the Governor.” She described the meeting as brief, saying that Kitzhaber “asked me why I came back early from Washington, D.C., which I found strange.” She says that Kitzhaber then told her that he did not intend to resign.
Brown says she “informed the governor that I am ready, and my staff will be ready, should he resign” but that “right now I am focused on doing my job for the people of Oregon.”
The Oregonian reported on Thursday that the Oregon Senate President and House Speaker — both Democrats — met with Kitzhaber on Thursday morning, telling him it was time to resign.
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