“The integrity of the election for delegate to the U.S. Congress and the right of self-government embodied in the Covenant have been threatened by the apparent involvement of the Office of the Attorney General in partisan political activities in support of a candidate in the election.
“The reported recusal of Attorney General Buckingham alone and the reported selection by Governor Fitial of another member of the Office of the Attorney General to oversee the election is an insufficient and premature response.
“In the first place, the Kilili for Congress campaign has not seen or received any document from the attorney general or the governor regarding the reported recusal and appointment of alternative counsel. An e-mail to the press does not constitute an official or credible action by the attorney general or the governor.
“Second, it is not the decision of the attorney general or the governor whether the election has been compromised by their action. It is up to the Commonwealth Election Commission, the public auditor, federal authorities, and others to make that determination and to decide what remedies are appropriate.
“Third, the ethical violations, violations of law, and threat to the integrity of the election are not confined to the attorney general himself. As Mr. Buckingham is reported to have said: ‘the facts of the matter, when known, will exonerate me and the Office of the Attorney General.’ By Mr. Buckingham’s own admission, therefore, it is the entire office and everyone employed there whose involvement is in question.
“Fourth, the potential ethical violations, violations of law, and threat to self-government are not confined to the Office of the Attorney General. The Covenant Party candidate has advertised a series of campaign events sponsored by and, potentially, employing the offices and government resources controlled by other members of the Fitial administration. The Kilili for Congress campaign did not limit its request for information to the Office of the Attorney General, but asked for ‘all correspondence…that refer or relate in any way to [Covenant Party] candidate [Joseph N.] Camacho.’
“Fifth, until such time as the Kilili for Congress campaign’s Open Government Act request has been responded to and the evidence derived from that request has been fully evaluated by the Kilili for Congress campaign, it is premature to speculate on the extent of further action or any remedies that will be required.
“One thing is certain: if the winner of the Nov. 2nd election goes to Congress with any question as to his legitimate election, it will be extremely difficult for that person to find acceptance by other members of Congress or to achieve anything of benefit for the people of the Northern Mariana Islands.
“The Kilili for Congress Campaign remains committed to take whatever actions are necessary to secure the integrity of the election and to protect the ability of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands to exercise their right of self-government.”
