Val Hoyle “resisting” handing over public records
Vulnerable Democrat Val Hoyle is “resisting” handing over her personal devices containing public records to the Oregon government agency requesting them.
Allegedly, Hoyle has retained an attorney in the matter.
“With a federal criminal investigation into La Mota corruption looming, no wonder Hoyle and her attorney want to pick and choose which public records to hand over and which ones to cover up.” – NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen
In case you missed it…
Val Hoyle Won’t Provide Her Personal Phones to the State Agency She Once Ran
Willamette Week
Sophie Peel
Hoyle says she’ll scour her own phones for texts that count as public records—even though agency staff say they’d rather do it.
U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), who while serving as Oregon labor commissioner used personal devices to discuss at least some state business, is now resisting handing over those devices for inspection.
In recent emails obtained by WW, Hoyle tells the Bureau of Labor & Industries, which she led from 2019 to the beginning of 2023, that she will produce the records herself, with the assistance of her attorney—even though BOLI officials made it clear it would be much swifter for the agency to scour the devices since they have the relevant software.
As WW reported last week, BOLI twice asked Hoyle earlier this year to produce all public records on her personal devices. Hoyle says she saw neither email. It was not until WW asked Hoyle about the requests last week that Hoyle reached out to the bureau.
Records previously provided by BOLI show that Hoyle did discuss state business from a cellphone—including a $554,000 grant the bureau awarded to a nonprofit co-founded by Rosa Cazares, CEO of the embattled La Mota dispensary chain whose business associate and longtime on-and-off partner was a top campaign donor to Hoyle. Current BOLI Commissioner Christina Stephenson revoked the grant this spring, after WW’s reporting on the cannabis outfit, because the grant would never pass legal muster with federal regulators.
Below is a recent exchange between Hoyle and BOLI records custodian Kelsey Dietrick about Hoyle turning over her cellphones.