Yesterday’s weirdness over Governor John Kitzhaber’s increasingly shaky handling of the ethics scandal swamping his career—he changed his mind about resigning? after calling Secretary of State Kate Brown, his successor, back to Salem?—has spilled over into today.
At 11:19 this morning, Brown sent an email detailing a very strange meeting with Kitzhaber upon her return to Oregon. She says Kitzhaber asked her to come back ASAP from Washington DC—only to then ask her, when they met, why Brown came back early to meet with him.
She called the whole saga “a bizarre and unprecedented situation.” It’s not reassuring. Read it. (And read our primer the scandal right here.)
Late Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from the Governor while I was in Washington, DC at a Secretaries of State conference. He asked me to come back to Oregon as soon as possible to speak with him in person and alone.
I got on a plane yesterday morning and arrived at 3:40 in the afternoon. I was escorted directly into a meeting with the Governor. It was a brief meeting. 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.
This is clearly a bizarre and unprecedented situation.
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.
UPDATE, 12:57 pm:
Now Treasurer Ted Wheeler, another leading Democrat, has piled on, and in blunter terms. He’s point-blank asking Kitzhaber to resign. ALSO: Senate President Peter Courtney has told reporters in a news conference he’d like the governor gone. House Speaker Tina Kotek feels the same way, according to the Oregonian. This is happening, people. Here’s Wheeler’s release:
SALEM, OR – State Treasurer Ted Wheeler released the following statement on Governor Kitzhaber:
“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.
“Unfortunately, the current situation has become untenable, and I cannot imagine any scenario by which things improve. Oregon deserves a Governor who is fully focused on the duties of state.
“I hope the Governor will do the right thing for Oregon and its citizens.”
Ooooh boy. There’ll be a “Nixon in China”-like opera about this affair someday, won’t there.
It’s not a coup d’etat, governor. Pull yourself together.
Well, for her to send such a statement out means that she is most definitely off his team. The Attorney General is as well. I don’t see why any members of the legislature would go out on a limb for him at this point.
He is a man unto himself at this point, communicating with everyone through lawyers. How does this last?
Thank you Dr. Kitzhaber: my Pacific Green gubernatorial vote seems even less wasted now.
Criminal charges won’t go away by the Governor resigning; he must intend to stay. Brown says that Kitzhaber ordered her back to Oregon, then seemed not to remember. Perhaps the good doctor is building a legal defense of mental incapacitation, by subtly feigning Altimeters, while setting up Hayes to be prosecuted for elder abuse in addition to other offenses?
^Altimeters? Perhaps you meant Alzheimers? sp
No, Altimeters is geezers who suffer oxygen deprivation from the altitude of high office and Spellcheck automatically corrects with perfect spelling of the exact wrong word before I can even notice to stop it, which is a condition with no known name or spelling, either correct or otherwise. Numbskull is close enough, though.
The Governor is being cagily shrewd and dutifully responsible at the same time. He called his second in command in order to assure a smooth transition, in case he gets impeached and censured, without conceding any guilt or running away.
He really needs to denounce and dump that albatross who’s been incriminating him, have her indicted, and let the chips fall where they may.
Nobody is talking about the elephant in the room, that mullet. Come on man. Mullet and stash. You can’t trust that.