State election officials in Delaware were found to have been in direct communication with one or more aides in Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s office last year during a scandal involving her campaign finance reports. Emails obtained showed that Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence wanted to keep Hall-Long’s office informed about inquiries by the AP regarding amendments to her campaign finance reports, which revealed undisclosed loans amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Despite the violations uncovered in a forensic audit by a former FBI executive, Albence and Attorney General Kathleen Jennings stated they would not pursue criminal charges against Hall-Long or her husband. Hall-Long is currently running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the upcoming primary election, competing against New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and former state environmental secretary Collin O’Mara.
Following questions about errors in amended filings by Hall-Long, election officials sent a response to the AP the next day while also notifying a top aide in Hall-Long’s office named Andrew Volturo. Despite claims of no involvement in the campaign, Volturo did not respond to the emails regarding Hall-Long’s campaign finances.
In response to a FOIA request, it was revealed that there were communications between election officials and Volturo in Hall-Long’s office. Despite this, the Department of Elections asserted no records were available about these exchanges, a claim challenged by the AP in a petition lodged with Jennings’ office. The petition highlighted the existing records of communications and discrepancies in the department’s response.
The forensic audit commissioned by Albence disclosed that Hall-Long and her husband had discrepancies in reported payments and loans throughout her campaign. Despite this, Albence confirmed he would not pursue criminal charges, instead advising Hall-Long to rectify the reporting errors promptly. However, it remains uncertain whether amended finance reports will be filed before the primary election.
In response to the audit’s findings, Hall-Long has refuted the reporting violations as mere bookkeeping errors. Despite the possibility of facing charges under Delaware law for knowingly filing false campaign finance reports, Jennings cited the potential defense of “carelessness” as a reason for not pursuing prosecution in this case. Albence’s office has remained tight-lipped on whether Hall-Long will be allowed to withhold filing the amended reports until after the election.