The clock is ticking louder for Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber.
First it was The Oregonian, Oregons largest newspaper – and long-time supporter of Kitzhaber – calling on him to resign.
And now the Associated Press has taken it national.
Excerpted from Jonathan J. Cooper\’s article:
Oregon\’sgovernor is struggling to deal with allegations that his fiancee usedhis position to land clients for her environmental consultingbusiness, claims that have drawn an ethics investigation and thescrutiny of the state\’s attorney general.
Theeditorial board at the state\’s largest newspaper, The Oregonian,called for him to resign this week, saying the controversy has becomesuch a distraction that he can\’t effectively lead. Two advisers tothe Republican he defeated last year took early steps Friday to begina recall effort.
Aseries of newspaper reports since October have chronicled CylviaHayes\’ work for organizations with an interest in Oregon publicpolicy. During the same period, she worked as an unpaid adviser inthe governor\’s office. The spotlight on Hayes led to her revelationthat she accepted about $5,000 to illegally marry an immigrantseeking immigration benefits in the 1990s. Later, she admitted shebought a remote property with the intent to grow marijuana.
Kitzhaberhas repeatedly declined to appoint a special prosecutor, saying it\’sunnecessary.
Can Kitzhaber withstand this scandal? Well, it all depends.
Now that the Oregonian is on record as demanding his resignation, there is little doubt that it will continue to investigate and report about his ethical depredations. And now that the Associated Press has joined the party, it is more likely that other mainstream media will follow. That will make it a lot harder to do so.
Will he continue to try toughing things out anyway? Will it rip apart his personal life? Will his fiance wind up on trial?
I\’ll stay on this, and blog further as events unfold.
