“I HAVE asked my [legal] counsels since the beginning that I don’t want to prolong this process,” Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said Friday regarding the impeachment proceedings.
“The House has investigated me for two years. They did all their subpoenas and all this other stuff. All I want is to get this over with. The sooner that we address this, the better,” he added.
Regarding revisions made by the governor’s personal legal counsel, Viola Alepuyo, to the proposed Senate impeachment rules prior to their adoption, Torres said he has spoken to Alepuyo regarding this matter.
He said if there were ex parte communications involving Alepuyo, the governor said he will ensure that he follows the law.
“I don’t want to speculate, but when the time comes we’re here to make sure that we follow the law. I personally don’t think that there’s any issue in terms of breaking any law, but when that comes, then I’ll make sure that I follow what the law is,” he said.
“I have not communicated with any member of the Senate. If you have any other questions, go ahead and ask my lawyers.”
The governor noted that Alepuyo is his private legal counsel solely for the impeachment matter.
On Thursday, independent Rota Sen. Paul A. Manglona accused Alepuyo and Senate special legal counsel Joe McDoulett of ex parte communications.
Manglona said a document titled, “Senate Impeachment Rules V6.1 Joey Edits” showed a number of edits made by Alepuyo to the Senate Impeachment Rules at 11:21 and 11:22 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022.
For his part, Sen. Karl King-Nabors, presiding hearing officer of the Senate Special Committee on the Impeachment Hearing, said at the time that Alepuyo made the edits, she was not the governor’s legal counsel.
He said since she became the governor’s legal counsel, there have been no communications as relate to the rules or the impending impeachment trial.
The senator also said that he has asked Torres to withdraw Alepuyo as the governor’s attorney of record.
On Jan. 12, 2022, by a vote of 15 to 4 with 1 abstention, the House of Representatives impeached Torres on allegations of felonies of theft, corruption and neglect of duty. He has denied the charges.
At least six of the nine senators must vote to convict in order to remove the governor from office. The lt. governor will then succeed him.
Ralph DLG Torres
