First post, and a recap of where we are in the Gov. Kitzhaber saga

John Kitzhaber, soon to be ex-Governor of Oregon 
(By Oregon Department of Transportation. Uploaded by Smallman12q)

Last week, John Kitzhaber, our recently re-inaugurated governor, announced his resignation amid an ethical scandal/criminal investigation involving alleged influence-peddling by his girlfriend, Cylvia Hayes. The last week has been a media feeding frenzy, and the story has hit the national news. On Wednesday, Kitzhaber stepped down, replaced by Secretary of State Kate Brown. That appears to be the end of a nearly 40-year political career in Oregon, but as far as the criminal investigations go, things are just getting started. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is looking into potential violations of state law, most likely official misconduct. Meanwhile, the FBI has issued at least one wide-reaching subpoena for documents relating to the scandal, from which one might read the tea leaves as suggesting potential mail/wire fraud based on the theory of depriving Oregon citizens of the right to honest services.

In upcoming posts, I'll look at the federal subpoena, discuss the mail/wire fraud statute in more detail, and consider other issues as they arise - which, with this matter, has been on a nearly daily basis!