In Oregon, Senate President Peter Courtney, House Speaker Tina Kotek, and other top Democrats have asked Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) to resign amid an ethics scandal.
Kitzhaber's fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, is being investigated over work she has done for the state and for failing to disclose income to the IRS, and lawmakers are afraid the scandal is hurting Oregon. State Treasurer Ted Wheeler released a statement Thursday saying it was with "deep sadness" that he asked Kitzhaber to step down. "Unfortunately, the current situation has become untenable, and I cannot imagine any scenario by which things improve," he said. "Oregon deserves a governor who is fully focused on the duties of state."
Kitzhaber had decided to resign on Tuesday but changed his mind after meeting with his attorney and Hayes on Wednesday, The Oregonian reports. Earlier, he had called Secretary of State Kate Brown back to Oregon from a conference in Washington, D.C., in order to have the second-in-command back in the state, but Kitzhaber told KOIN 6 News on Wednesday night: "She is the vice president, second in line, but I have no intention to resign. I will do the job I was elected to do."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 loony toons about the Warner Bros. buyoutCartoons Artists take on movie theaters, high quality cinema, and more
-
Political cartoons for December 13Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include saving healthcare, the affordability crisis, and more
-
Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
