Calls for federal probe, ending run for governor plague Lt. Gov. Hall-Long's campaign

Delaware House Rep. Sophie Phillips is calling for Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long to end her gubernatorial campaign following a scathing audit of her campaign finances finding the reporting to be incomplete, inconsistent, inaccurate and misleading.

Phillips joins other Delaware Democrats and candidates for political office who have called for varying degrees of increased scrutiny on Hall-Long's campaign finances after a forensic audit commissioned by the state Department of Elections found multiple improprieties with her campaign’s financial reporting.

The Delaware Democratic Party remains supportive of Hall-Long's gubernatorial run.

Phillips in an emailed statement Monday said Hall-Long has “repeatedly broken the law and broken our trust.

"The Department of Elections independent report exposes her campaign’s pattern of corruption, including $298,000 in undisclosed and fraudulent payments to her husband,” Phillips said. “In recent days, I have heard from constituents and colleagues distressed by these egregious violations of state law. I agree with them that the lieutenant governor is unfit to hold the highest office of our state and manage a $6 billion budget."

The representative’s statement echoes similar comments made by New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, who held a news conference Monday morning in Wilmington to call for a federal investigation of Hall-Long's campaign finances.

Meyer, Hall-Long and former state environmental secretary Collin O’Mara will face off in a three-way Democratic primary in September.

LT. GOV. CAMPAIGN: Audit finds Hall-Long's campaign finances 'incomplete, inaccurate, misleading'

“A final report from an independent examination that was released last week conducted by a former FBI police chief concluded that Ms. Hall-Long's campaign finance reporting is ‘incomplete, inconsistent, and often inaccurate,” Meyer said. “The report found that Ms. Hall-Long broke the law.”

While Meyer admitted Monday that he has not spoken to U.S. Attorney David Weiss or anyone on the federal level to pursue an investigation, he stressed the goal is to have an independent probe “free from the political whirlwind” encompassing Delaware.

Hall-Long's campaign rebuffed calls for the lieutenant governor to step out of the governor’s race and blasted Meyer for his alleged connection to a recently former super PAC that is linked to executives at TransPerfect, a New York translation company that has feuded with Delaware institutions since 2016.

"Our campaign is about the people of Delaware and their needs, not the interests of a single wealthy individual,” the lieutenant governor said in an emailed statement Monday. “I have always stood for accountability, transparency, and genuine public service.”

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What are opponents saying?

Meyer did not outright call for Hall-Long to end her gubernatorial campaign but claimed that the latest issues uncovered with the lieutenant governor’s campaign finances fit “a pattern of behavior.

“Ms. Hall-Long's opioid commission was found to be ‘rubberstamping’ millions of dollars of public funds with sloppy accountability and no guardrails – and now a dozen grantees are being audited,” Meyer said, emphasizing that “public servants must be held to a higher standard.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerrold Price agreed with Meyer’s call for a federal investigation, saying that Hall-Long “is not an honest person.”

O’Mara, who also seeks the Democratic nomination for governor, took a slightly different approach, calling for an “apolitical independent” attorney to review the matter.

“The best way to restore public confidence is to take the politics out of this process completely and have an apolitical independent counsel review the findings of the forensic analysis and determine whether any penalties or fines should be levied,” the National Wildlife Federation CEO said in an emailed statement. “Again, that report showed what many people fear about the culture of secrecy in Dover. We need more transparency and accountability from our elected officials.”

State Rep. Mike Ramone, who also is running for governor on the Republican line, avoided wading into the political fight.

"Like most Delawareans, I'm disappointed by constant political infighting. That's why our campaign is staying focused on the issues that matter most in our state,” Ramone said. “As governor, I will work hard and always lead with integrity."

How is Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long responding?

Over the weekend, the lieutenant governor appeared on DETV’s The Agenda to respond to the latest accusations and defend her campaign against the audit’s findings.

“We have worked really hard to be open and transparent, and I'm really disgusted with some of the stirrup and the false accusations of criminal and misconduct...and other accusations,” Hall-Long told The Agenda host Kerwin Gaines on Sunday.

Hall-Long's campaign blasted Meyer on Monday, claiming that the county executive has close ties with TransPerfect CEO Philip Shawe and appears to have timed his Monday news conference with the business’s PAC launching an attack ad on the lieutenant governor .

The PAC, called Citizens for a New Delaware Way , pledged in May to spend a hefty $1 million in its efforts.

“Meyer’s close ties to Shawe, along with his press conference directly coinciding with Shawe’s SuperPAC cable advertising spending that attacks the lieutenant governor raises serious questions about whether or not the Meyer campaign is coordinating the timing of his press conference with Shawe’s SuperPAC,” Hall-Long's campaign said.

Meyer denied knowing about the PAC’s latest ad and told reporters Monday he was not aware of whether Citizens for a New Delaware Way supported his gubernatorial run.

How are Hall-Long's supporters responding?

Despite the scrutiny, Gov. John Carney said he intends to continue supporting Hall-Long's campaign.

“[Hall-Long] and her campaign were clear that they made some mistakes,” Carney said in an emailed statement. “They acknowledged them, and cooperated with this review.

“I know Bethany. I know she has integrity – and will be a Governor who does the hard work, and puts people first,” Carney said.

As of now, the Delaware Democratic Party has not changed its stance in its support of Hall-Long for Governor, and does not plan to comment further on Meyer’s calls for a federal investigation into Hall-Long's finances.

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. Reach her at omontes@delawareonline.com .

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Calls for federal probe, ending run for governor plague Lt. Gov. Hall-Long's campaign