How Tom Steyer, the White House, and a Scandal-Plagued Operative Paved the Way for EPA Regulations

The White House, statehouses, and nonprofits backed by the billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer worked behind the scenes to create a state-level advocacy network to support controversial new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, newly released emails reveal.

Involved in the strategy was a top aide to John Kitzhaber, the former Democratic governor of Oregon, according to emails obtained by the Energy and Environment Legal Institute. Kitzhaber resigned this year in the midst of a scandal involving his fiancée.


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Kitzhaber legacy: Chicago on the Willamette

The aftermath of former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber’s resignation in February was surprisingly quiet, and it has been business as usual at the state capitol in Salem ever since. It was almost as if that whole bizarre series of events had never transpired in the first place.


For his part, Kitzhaber had largely dropped out of the public eye, and understandably so. Kitzhaber sightings have become increasingly rare, though he was spotted at a Starbucks in Northwest Portland in early May and had his picture snapped. Aside from the photographer, all indications are that nobody else even recognized him.


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Kitzhaber's Nephew Is a Prosecutor In the Office Handling Criminal Investigation Into Whistleblower Michael Rodgers

The prosecutor’s office now threatening to bring criminal charges in the leak of former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s emails has an ethical conflict of interest in the case.

It turns out that a nephew of Kitzhaber’s is a senior prosecutor in the Marion County District Attorney's office—the same office that this month threatened the leaker of the Kitzhaber emails, Michael Rodgers, with thousands of counts of official misconduct.


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What is John Kitzhaber’s Legacy for Oregon’s Economy

Take this Oregon Republican Party poll: What is John Kitzhaber’s Legacy for Oregon’s Economy after two terms as Governor (1995+to+2003)? Read More......

SurveyUSA: Wyden leads Huffman, Dudley leads Kitzhaber

OREGONLIVE.COM/BLOG, 6/11/2010 by Jeff Mapes (Hat tip: Linda Weimer) - Another poll shows Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with a large - but not unassailable - lead in his reelection race. ∴ SurveyUSA, in the same poll that showed Republican Chris Dudley leading the Oregon race for governor, found that Wyden was ahead of Republican Jim Huffman by 13 percentage points. See our Campaign page for more... Read More......