On the same day Legislative leaders–both Democrats– called for embattled Governor’s resignation, comes a block buster story about Kitzhaber office ordering destruction of records.
Image Credit: The Oregonian
As KINK’s Sheila Hamilton said today on the Lars Larson Show,
This is the smoking gun. This is the smoking gun.
From the story broken by KINK, KXL and Willamette Week:
Gov. John Kitzhaber’s office last week requested state officials destroy thousands of records in the governor’s personal email accounts, according to records obtained by WWand 101.9 KINK/FM News 101 KXL.
The request came as investigations into allegations of influence-peddling involving Kitzhaber and first lady Cylvia Hayes were intensifying.Records show the request to destroy Kitzhaber’s emails came from Jan Murdock, Kitzhaber’s executive assistant. She wanted all emails from Kitzhaber’s personal email accounts removed from state servers.The request from Murdock was described in a Feb. 5 email. “Governor’s office wants anything that is in the email account [Kitzhaber’s account] removed from archive,” wrote Tracy Osburn, a field technician in the DAS Technology Support Center, wrote in the email obtained by WWand 101.9 KINK/FM News 101 KXL.
And there’s more:
The request from Murdock was described in a Feb. 5 email. “Governor’s office wants anything that is in the email account [Kitzhaber’s account] removed from archive,” wrote Tracy Osburn, a field technician in the DAS Technology Support Center, wrote in the email obtained by WWand 101.9 KINK/FM News 101 KXL.Personal emails of public officials can be subject to the state’s open records laws if they are used to discuss public business. Earlier documents previously released by the governor’s office show Kitzhaber used both his personal and state email accounts to communicate with his aides and discuss state business.
More later.
Murdock’s got nothing on Rosemary Woods.
