This reporter tried to cover the event on Saturday evening but was told it was a “private gathering.”
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial was heard telling the audience to “stay united.”
Camacho, for his part, thanked Fitial and Buckingham for hosting the event.
There were more or less 30 vehicles in the parking lot.
The Camacho for Congress Facebook account announced the gathering on Friday morning: “[T]he Attorney General and his staff are hosting our Candidate for U.S. Delegate Joseph Norita Camacho. The meet and greet will be at the CNMI Gov. Fitial’s residence in Gualo Rai. Please come and join us.”
At about 2:30 p.m., the announcement on the Facebook page was removed.
A local lawyer, who declined to be identified, told the Variety: “I can’t find anything expressly saying ‘The attorney general is responsible for providing free and fair elections’ ” but the AGO provides legal advice to the Commonwealth Election Commission.
The lawyer asked: “Can the AG give objective advice to the election commission when he publicly supports and hosts parties for one of the candidates? A court would likely say no.”
The lawyer added, “Should the election be contested in court due to violation of campaign and election laws, will a conflict of interest arise due to the AG’s active participation in Camacho’s campaign? Absolutely.”
On her Unheard No More! blog site, human rights advocate and former Rota teacher Wendy Doromal asked: “Is this ethical?”
She noted that the CNMI election law states that “no person may use the name of the government department or agency to campaign for or express support for a candidate running for public office; nor shall the buying or selling of fundraising materials in support of candidates for public office take place in any government building or facility.”
Another lawyer, who posted a comment on Doromal’s blog site, said: “Whether it violates the law or not, the real problem with Ed Buckingham sponsoring a campaign event is the appearance of a conflict of interest…. How can we, the voters, have any confidence that [his office] will faithfully oversee the integrity of the election when [it] used [its] influence (and money) in support of one candidate winning?”
