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On Hidden Camera: Former Campaign Manager, “She’s a really awful manager of people, operations and structures.”

“The government side can’t direct the campaign side, which is what was happening.”

Governor’s Chief of Staff Alleged to Have Illegally Fired Campaign Staff

Using Government Funds for Campaign Expenses: “… [with Governor Brown] it happens all the time”

“Yeah, it [Brown’s administration] was “shady as f**k,” Says Former Campaign Manager

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(Oregon) Project Veritas Action Fund has released undercover video which exposes widespread mismanagement and possible campaign law violations associated with Governor Kate Brown. The undercover report features a former campaign manager for Brown, Michael Kolenc, candidly revealing the governor’s misdeeds both in running her last campaign and in governing the state of Oregon.

Governor’s Office Directing Kate Brown’s Campaign?

Kolenc, who managed Brown’s campaign for Governor in 2016, shines light on potential violations of Oregon law. These center around the direction and use of government personnel and other resources for campaign activities and support.

KOLENC: “Well, yeah, the government side can’t direct the campaign side, which is what was happening.” JOURNALIST: “How so?” KOLENC: “Well, the [Governor’s] chief of staff is the one who got me fired.”

Kolenc elaborated, indicating that there are limitations on government work hours that can be used to direct campaign work, saying “… you can’t really have one person in charge of everything because of the legal limitations…”

When asked if Governor Brown knew about these potential violations of Oregon law, Kolenc asserts that Brown, “… had to have known.”

New Light on Past Scandals

Kolenc also speaks a previously reported scandal involving Governor Brown’s former chief of staff, Kristen Leonard, who did not disclose a potential conflict of interest regarding a state government contract held by a company she owns.

JOURNALIST: “How did you find out about the whole, chief of staff had this corrupt thing?” KOLENC: “The finance director flagged it for me… they had tried to fire this consulting company earlier, like six months earlier, and the chief of staff totally put the kibosh on it and the woman that tried to fire them was the person that hired me to come in and she was let go from the campaign after she brought me in…”

Another detail revealed in the report is an allegation involving Kate Brown and an alleged quid-pro-quo exchange for campaign contributions from Comcast.

KOLENC: “It was something in 20– it was something earlier in her tenure, but she had written a letter for Comcast and they gave her like $100,000 check or something. And it was just like, it didn’t look good, and it shouldn’t look good. She didn’t do anything illegal, but the perception that it’s a quid-pro-quo, like I’m going to write a letter of support for something, and you’re going to write me a $100,000 check, it doesn’t look good.” JOURNALIST: “Oh, she did that?” KOLENC: “Yes, she absolutely did that, yeah. It was before I got there, but that type of thing, when you’re trying to appeal to working-class people that don’t have that money, they don’t understand it…”

When asked if he believes Governor Brown still receives contributions for favors, Kolenc states: “Oh, it’s 100% going on, it’s 100% going on. It’s really discouraging…”

Kolenc summarized Governor Brown’s tenure-to-date as “… shady as f**k…,” and that generally nobody discloses “low-level graft, low-level corruption…”

Using Government Funds for Campaign Expenses

Kolenc revealed that Governor Brown uses government funds for campaign purposes.

KOLENC: ” Yeah, it could happen… It could, she did do that, yeah. It happens. And it happens all the time.”

Also captured in the undercover report were comments made by Kolenc regarding Governor Brown’s lack of management experience and skills:

KOLENC: “She’s a really awful manager of people, operations and structures. She’s just not a good manager, and she doesn’t hire, she doesn’t hire good managers. So that’s like one of her, a fundamental problem that she has…”

More Elections…

Project Veritas Action Fund founder said, “President Obama just endorsed Governor Brown’s re-election effort. After all that Kolenc told us, it’s hard to understand why even Obama would do that.”

This is the first release in a series Project Veritas Action Fund began publishing in October 2018 exposing dishonesty and unethical conduct in elections across the country. Project Veritas Action Fund will continue to publish undercover reports in this series.