Oregon Governor Resigns in Scandal
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned Friday, amid allegations that he and First Lady Cylvia Hayes used state contacts to benefit her consulting firm and set policies that benefited her clients.
Kitzhaber said he will leave office at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18.
Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, a Democrat like Kitzhaber, will become governor on Wednesday. She will serve until 2016, when voters will decide who will complete the final two years of Kitzhaber’s fourth term.
Kitzhaber claimed innocence in a statement Friday and blamed his resignation on the “the escalating media frenzy” after fellow Democrats roundly called for him to step down.
More: Courthouse News Service