Disgraced Democrat Auditor Troy Kelley and his lawyer are celebrating today, after their “victory” in court that ordered the federal government to return the nearly $1 million in alleged ill-gotten gains it had seized from Kelley. Unfortunately for the lawyer, he can’t have Kelley pay him with any of the money yet.
Despite that technical decision, Kelley’s case will drag into next year, with him still unwilling to resign from his office, even though he hasn’t actually done any work in months.
That led the Spokane Spokesman-Review to lay out in harsh terms what must happen – “Troy Kelley must resign as state auditor or be removed from an office he hasn’t occupied since May.”
The Spokesman points out that Kelley has ignored the belated calls to resign from his former Democrat allies, like Jay Inslee and Bob Ferguson. The paper further notes that “Democrats in the House of Representatives, where Kelley served three terms, have been patient – too patient – and now some are working on an effort to impeach him.”
It remains to be seen whether House Speaker Frank Chopp will allow that impeachment effort to move forward when the legislature convenes in January, or whether he will shield his former colleague from removal. Again, the Spokesman nails the issue appropriately: “With Kelley absent, the state Legislature took $6 million earmarked for performance audits (from the Auditor’s office). He should have been there to battle for those funds. Instead, he is battling to stay out of jail.
“Impeach him.”
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