Hagåtña – A FOIA request from the Governor’s Office discovered a three day delay between the date that Senator Telena Nelson sent a letter to the AG and the date that the AG stamped received.
Why the delay? We wonder too.
The obvious sequence of events shows it was never the intention of Chairwoman Nelson to officially inquire the opinion of the Attorney General. It was her desire to ensure that the nomination of Eric Palacios would never come to a vote on the floor. The letter was only sent after a FOIA by the Governor’s Office.
Chairwoman Nelson stated that she sent her letter to the Attorney General on August 7, 2018, via email. On August 9, 2018 the Governor’s Office sent a FOIA to the Chairwoman requesting a copy of the documents with a stamp showing receipt by the AG’s Office. In the AG’s response to Chairwoman Nelson, the Attorney General points out that while the Chairwoman’s letter was dated August 7, 2018, and showing as sent via e-mail, it was not received by the AG’s Office until August 10, 2018.
Additionally, the Attorney General agrees with the Administration’s interpretation of the law. Eric Palacios is still Acting Director.
Governor Eddie Calvo stated, “I find it ironic that the Chairwoman questions the integrity and credibility of Eric Palacios when the facts show that her letter was not sent when she said it was.”
And with that, Governor Calvo inquires, “Whose credibility should be questioned here?”
Senator Telena Nelson is the Chairwoman for the Committee on Housing, Utilities, Public Safety, and Homeland Security.