Schwarzenegger to Hire Grope Probe P.I.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger will hire a private investigator to look into allegations that he groped women, but he may keep the results from the state attorney general, a spokesman said Thursday.
Schwarzenegger's reluctance to turn over the results of the investigation stem from remarks Attorney General Bill Lockyer made earlier Thursday. The Democrat said he advised Schwarzenegger that the misconduct allegations "are not going to go away" and he should cooperate with an independent investigation.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Rob Stutzman said those statements violated attorney-client privilege and have forced Schwarzenegger to reconsider whether he would provide any information to Lockyer.
"In regard to a review of allegations that surfaced late in the campaign, the governor-elect had already decided to engage a well-respected investigative firm to look into the allegations," Stutzman said. "He had intended to instruct the investigators to turn over the final results of that investigation to the attorney general; he will now reconsider that option."
Lockyer said he spoke with Schwarzenegger as recently as Wednesday about the accusations that surfaced during the final days of his gubernatorial campaign.
The allegations won't go away "until he is willing to have some form of independent, third-party review of those complaints to see if there's any criminal liability or not," Lockyer said.
Stutzman said Schwarzenegger was "extremely disappointed" in Lockyer's remarks.
"There was disappointment here on this end, that the attorney general would present himself to the governor-elect as his lawyer, engage him in discussion on this matter and make those dissuasions public," Stutzman said.
Lockyer spokesman Hallye Jordan said there was no attorney-client privilege.
"Bill was giving advice to a friend, as he has since before the election," she said. "He has said this both privately and publicly to the governor-elect."
Lockyer said Schwarzenegger is "very concerned, I think," but "obviously thinks there's not a legitimate basis for a complaint" and believes that any review would clear him.
But until the allegations are resolved, they are a "stain" on the incoming governor's reputation and his administration, Lockyer said.
The attorney general said he had no plans to open an investigation because that is generally the jurisdiction of local district attorneys.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office in Los Angeles County, where some of the incidents reportedly took place, said any investigation would have to originate with police agencies.
Five days before the election, the Los Angeles Times detailed allegations from six women who said Schwarzenegger groped or sexually harassed them between 1975 and 2000. By the Oct. 7 election, the number had grown to 16.
In most cases, the women identified in the Los Angeles Times story said they did not tell law enforcement officials about the incidents because it involved their word as waitresses and low-level workers on movie sets against that of an internationally known celebrity.
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)
Facebook
Twitter