Oregon Governor Says He Won’t Resign

Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon, who is the target of an ethics investigation, announced Wednesday afternoon that he has “no intention of resigning.”

Rumors had swirled that Kitzhaber might step down Wednesday after his would-be replacement, Oregon secretary of state Kate Brown, abruptly left a conference in Washington, D.C., to return to Oregon.

Kitzhaber has come under fire over allegations that his fiancée Cylvia Hayes used his office to land contracts for her clean-energy consulting business. The governor has denied any wrongdoing.

The state attorney general launched an investigation into the matter, and newspaper editorial boards have called for his resignation. But the Democrat stood firm on his decision to stay in office.

“Let me be as clear as I was last week, that I have no intention of resigning as governor of the state of Oregon,” he said in a statement. “I was elected to do a job for the people of this great state and I intend to continue to do so.”

Read more at the Oregonian.