Ted Wheeler Calls for Kitzhaber’s Resignation
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
Annie Ellison, GoLocalPDX Reporter
Oregon's Secretary of the Treasury, Ted Wheeler, has called on Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber to resign.
Wheeler's office released a statement Tuesday calling for the embattled governor to "do the right thing for Oregon and its citizens."
According to sources in Salem, the call came after an emergency Democratic caucus meeting.
“It is with deep sadness that I ask Governor John Kitzhaber to resign his position as Governor of Oregon. He has accomplished many great things during his long career, and history will be kinder to him than current events suggest," Wheeler wrote Thursday.
“Unfortunately, the current situation has become untenable, and I cannot imagine any scenario by which things improve.
Wheeler stated that Oregon needs a governor who can focus fully on the duties of the state.
“I hope the Governor will do the right thing for Oregon and its citizens.”
Wednesday, after five critical hours in which the governor's office would not comment on rumors of a resignation, Kitzhaber stated he had "no intention of resigning."
Kitzhaber called Secretary of State Kate Brown back from a national conference two days earlier, requesting a face-to-face meeting.
Brown also released a statement Thursday, relaying the events of Tuesday and Wednesday. The Secretary said she was escorted directly to meet face-to-face with Kitzhaber, who then asked her why she came back early.
"He asked me why I came back early from Washington, DC, which I found strange. I asked him what he wanted to talk about. The Governor told me he was not resigning, after which, he began a discussion about transition," Brown wrote. "This is clearly a bizarre and unprecedented situation."
Brown will succeed Kitzhaber as Oregon's governor if he leaves office early.
"I informed the Governor that I am ready, and my staff will be ready, should he resign. Right now I am focused on doing my job for the people of Oregon," Brown said.
Related Slideshow: What Governor Kitzhaber Said at His Jan. Cylvia Hayes Press Conference
Governor John Kitzhaber held a press conference on Jan. 30, 2015, where he fielded questions surrounding his fiancé and Oregon’s “First Lady” Cylvia Hayes.
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Kitzhaber told media Friday, Jan. 30 he would not consider resigning.
“Of course not,” he said. “I was elected by the people of this state to do a job, and I intend to do it.”
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The Governor said he did not see any problem in hiring Ball Janik, a firm that lobbies for Oregon in Washington, D.C., to defend him and Cylvia Hayes against allegations that include lobbying.
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Kitzhaber said he has not been contacted by the FBI.
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The Governor said he did not instruct his attorney Leanni Reaves to loosen ethics guidelines for Cylvia Hayes.
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“Our intention has always been to try to navigate this undefined area of First Lady,” Kitzhaber said during the press conference.
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The Governor does not believe that an independent investigation is necessary, when asked if a body other than the ethics commission appointed by him should investigate.
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When asked why the Governor did not keep Cylvia Hayes physically out of her office, he answered, “We tried to draw that line.”
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“I am in love,” the Governor said. "I do not believe I have been blinded by love, I am 'eyes wide open.'”
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“I have no idea whether she [Cylvia] is legally a member of my household.”
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Cylvia Hayes is in Sweden visiting friends, the Governor said.
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The Governor at one point compared himself to controversial Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.
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The Governor said he is not trying to reach a deal with the ethics commission.
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The Governor does not believe that an independent investigation is necessary, when asked if a body other than the ethics commission appointed by him should investigate.
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“The government ethics commission has a process and a sanction process. We will embrace that,” Kitzhaber said. “Well the Government ethics commission has a process and has a series of sanctions that it can take and we will obviously and have been complying and cooperating fully with the commission and we will embrace whatever decisions and sanctions they feel is appropriate."
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“Cylvia and I have a number of areas of common interest, climate change being one, low carbon fuels being one,” Kitzhaber said. "The fact that we have a convergence of intents does not seem to me to apply that if those issues apply in my administration that influence has been exerted."
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Cylvia Hayes will play no role in the Governor’s office for the next four years, according to Kitzhaber.
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