i L i n d . n e t

The Advertiser’s Rick Daysog and Kim Fassler waded in today with a very good story on the ABC network’s Extreme Makeover episode featuring the director of agency that operates the Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Center, which was reported here on Saturday. Daysog provides lots more juicy details to chew on.

I enjoyed reading Lee Cataluna’s column in yesterday’s Honolulu Advertiser praising Governor Lingle for accepting the immediate resignation of her chief of staff, Bob Awana. But I think she’s dead wrong on her main point.

Cataluna wrote:

This handling of a messy situation is so unlike the typical deny/obfuscate/cover-up cycle we see in politics.

What? It’s true that Lingle hasn’t publicly denied anything. Actually, she has refused to publicly discuss it at all, and apparently hasn’t been pushed to answer questions about what she has done to investigate or address Awana’s actions. If what Awana has said is true, Lingle has known about the situation for a couple of years and either essentially covered it up or failed to do the most basic investigation of it. So “obfuscate” and “cover-up” certainly would be terms that could be applied to her studied and continued head-in-the-sand attitude, contrary to Cataluna’s assessment.

What has Lingle said so far?

KITV June 25: “Because there is a criminal proceeding going on right now, I am not going to comment on that,” said Lingle.

June 29: Lingle issues a written statement announcing Awana’s resignation. No substantive response to issues or allegations.

June 29:

Except for saying it was in everyone’s best interest that Awana leave, Lingle did not give a reason as to why Awana resigned.

June 30: “Lingle was not available to explain her statement.”

July 1:

Lingle refused to answer further questions yesterday about on why Awana resigned.

“I’m not going to answer any questions about any issue that’s pending right now,” Lingle said. “I don’t have anything more to add than the statement I issued on it.”

Lingle has gotten away with sidestepping the entire issue so far, it seems, and the public is left to speculate, rightly or wrongly, about whether she knew about the alleged arranging of sexual entertainment for members of state delegations to foreign countries, whether she reacted by ordering her own investigation into the matter, or whether she just hunkered down and trusted Awana to make it all go away.