Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned in 2015 amid suspicion that his fiancee used her relationship with him to secure consulting contracts.
Alan Sylvestre / OPB
Back in February, Willamette Week published a story about a whistleblower in state government who claimed to have stopped John Kitzhaber's office from destroying thousands of the embattled governor's emails. This came after months of stories from media outlets around the state about possible influence-peddling by the governor and First Lady Cylvia Hayes. On February 13, Kitzhaber announced his resignation.
A recent story in the Statesman Journal calls the email whistleblower's claims into question and shows Kitzhaber's lawyer has asked Willamette Week for a retraction, which the alternative Portland paper has declined to issue.
The Statesman Journal declined to join us on the air, and sent this statement:
“At this time, the Statesman Journal's leadership team wants our stories from Sunday's edition to be read and considered. We may reconsider an opportunity to appear on "Think Out Loud," at a later date.”
GUESTS:
- Mark Zusman: Editor of "Willamette Week"