Should Kitzhaber resign?

by **saxitoxin** on Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:53 pm

Should politicians be responsible for the actions of their significant others?

Oregon's Governor-for-Life John Kitzhaber's fiancee staged a sham wedding with an illegal immigrant for $5K, tried to start a marijuana farm, lied on her income taxes, simultaneously worked for a lobbying firm while also working for Kitzhaber, and ran her consulting business out of an unused suite in the governor's residence, Mahonia Hall.

A series of reports chronicled her work for organizations with an interest in Oregon public policy. That work came about when she was serving as an unpaid adviser in the governor's office.

Amid the attention, Hayes revealed that she accepted about $5,000 to illegally marry an immigrant seeking immigration benefits. Later, she acknowledged purchasing a remote property with the intent to illegally grow marijuana. The pressure on Kitzhaber intensified in recent weeks after newspapers raised questions about whether Hayes reported all her income on her tax returns.

A fiercely private person, Kitzhaber has been forced to answer embarrassing and personal questions about his relationship.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/ ... thics.html

Also, she's 20 years younger than him!

by **targetman377** on Thu Feb 12, 2015 6:33 pm

If your spouse murders some one you should be tried for murder!!! :roll:

oh wait that's not at all how laws work... ahhh we have come a long way from Code of Hammurabi. But looks like good old saxi wants to bring them back.. I will say however if he did anything illegal such as know about these crimes he committed that's a completely different matter. Yet from what information you provided (i am too lazy to look it up) i can't pass judgment on pure speculation.

by **saxitoxin** on Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:26 pm

Update -- officials tell the Governor to resign today, he refuses -

Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek met with Gov. John Kitzhaber on Thursday morning and told him it was time to resign. At a 1 p.m. press conference to discuss the meeting, Courtney said the discussion with Kitzhaber was difficult.

The news comes following an unusual statement issued by Secretary of State Kate Brown on Thursday morning. Brown described how she had received a call from the governor on Tuesday afternoon asking her to return to Portland for a face-to-face meeting.

"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," she wrote in the statement.

"This is clearly a bizarre and unprecedented situation."

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/inde ... ohn_k.html

State Police have started to surround the Governor's house ...

Oregon state police gathered outside Gov. John Kitzhaber's house on Thursday afternoon as he faced mounting calls to resign, over a scandal concerning his fiancee's consulting and policy work. The Oregon attorney general's office declined to comment on the growing police presence outside his home. But the troopers were an ominous development in a day filled with bad news for the governor.

http://www.wptz.com/politics/oregon-gov ... n/31240454

The last time people tried to force the Governor to resign it didn't turn out so well, IIRC -

by **DoomYoshi** on Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:48 pm

In India, politicians are more likely to become elected if they have a criminal record, even moreso if they have committed a serious offense (murder, treason, rape etc.). United States should follow the Indian model.

by **AndyDufresne** on Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:06 pm

I nominate Koolbak for governor.

--Andy

by **KoolBak** on Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:34 pm

Hoo boy....you guys would have endless fun with THAT :shock:

I'm not sure if I qualify.....checkered past and all :lol:

Thanks tho!

*tosses banana to crazy monkey*

And YES...that zeke should be excommunicated!

EDIT:

Just heard on the radio he announced his resignation to his staff...so sad.....

by **notyou2** on Fri Feb 20, 2015 3:17 pm

Corruption is the new entitlement for politicos.

by **betiko** on Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:29 pm

Who gives a shit! He should ve just banged her without marrying that twat, he would have all the benefits.

by **patches70** on Fri Feb 20, 2015 10:58 pm

betiko wrote:Who gives a shit! He should ve just banged her without marrying that twat, he would have all the benefits.

Ahh, but there is a benefit you are not taking into account. A spouse can't be compelled to testify against their spouse. It's called spousal privilege.

by **Frito Bandito** on Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:21 am

He never should have run for a third term, let alone a fourth!

Screwed up the health care system and the most important infrastructure project (CRC) - but always blamed it on others. His defenders always claim "not his fault", only the people he was responsible for screwed up. The buck never stopped on his desk when the poop hit the fan.

Koolbak...for gov,... he could delete his own emails without consulting the IT department.