The Oregon State Bar is investigating whether Oregon’s former U.S. Attorney, Amanda Marshall, violated ethics rules during an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
Last month, the bar sent a series of questions to Marshall referencing a report by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General.
Documents obtained by OPB show Marshall’s attorney, Allison Rhodes, responded in writing on March 17, denying Marshall intended to impede a federal investigation into her conduct.
The bar has yet to determine if a formal ethics charge is warranted. Charges could range from public reprimand to a temporary or permanent suspension of Marshall's law license.
Marshall, who was appointed by President Obama, resigned in May 2015 amid rumors she had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. The DOJ Office of Inspector General found Marshall had engaged in an “intimate personal relationship with a subordinate, for more than one year” and had “violated laws and regulations against sexual harassment.”
The Oregon State Bar began its investigation in June 2016.
The DOJ’s investigation into Marshall found she attempted to influence or impede its efforts, according to the report obtained by OPB through the Freedom of Information Act.
On March 5, 2015, Marshall wrote a Facebook message to an individual whose name is redacted the OIG’s report. In the state bar’s list of questions to Marshall, the person is identified as “Mr. Kerin,” presumably Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin.
"Talked to the guy from OIG. Seems far more interested in investigating you than me," Marshall wrote in the message. "Don't talk to him. Get a lawyer. I denied everything."
Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting
