Despite the pyrotechnics and other distractions of the week commencing Monday, July 2, 2018, no one who reads local news could have avoided the story of Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill making an ass of himself (allegedly) at an end-of-session legislative party in Indy during the early morning hours of March 15th.
“Legislative leaders” are said to have commissioned an investigation and report by an Indy law firm. The “confidential” report was dated June 18, 2018. Not long after it was leaked to the Associated Press. The Indy Star wrote of the report on July 2, 2018. The report dealt with allegations of AG Hill groping one Region Legislator (State Representative Mara Candelaria Reardon) and three or four female legislative staffers.
For the record, AG Hill has denied the allegations, criticized the fairness of the investigation, and declared that he will not resign. Whether or not AG Hill leaves office voluntarily or otherwise he has already authored his own political obituary, after which there may be life but no political future.
The report included a description of a highly intoxicated AG Hill arriving late to the legislative end-of-session party. The report involved interviews with six female witnesses. As the holiday week wore on, the early whispers calling for a resignation grew into a robust chorus, including Governor Holcomb. Of those demanding a resignation most (including the Governor) have no power to force a resignation or removal from office. However, Article 6 Sec. 7 of the Indiana Constitution provides that “all state officers” may be removed “for crime, incapacity, or negligence” by the General Assembly, either by impeachment in the House followed by a Senate trial or by a “joint” (bicameral) resolution of the General Assembly passed in each chamber by “two-thirds of the members elected.” There is also the possibility of disciplinary action against AG Hill’s law license. The legislative act creating the office of Indiana Attorney General may be found at IC 4-6-1-2, According to IC 4-6-1-3, the AG must be licensed to practice law in Indiana. If suspended from the practice of law AG Hill could not be Indiana Attorney General for the duration of the suspension. AG Hill could also be removed upon conviction of a felony but there is no real possibility of a felony conviction.
The CLB would not join the cascade of criticism of the AG but for the circumstance of Hill’s exquisite hypocrisy. Remember, Curtis, that God hates a hypocrite, and so does the CLB. The married Attorney General pushed his way into the news in early June while complaining about the proposed watering down of a State GOP Platform plank commending one man/one woman marriage (as the cornerstone of strong families), to the exclusion of alternative family structures (such as same-sex marriage). AG Hill seemed to wish to lead the parade of devout pro-family Christians to the Indiana Republican Convention. Notably, AG Hill prevailed with his Platform advocacy, during a time when he should have been maintaining the lowest of profiles. I would love to hear AG Hill reconciling his Christian orthodoxy with his own behavior on the 15th of March.
It is unlikely that AG Hill’s bad behavior began March 15, 2018. To the Women who may have first-hand knowledge, take heed that it is now safe to go public. You should have gone public earlier, but now is not too late to nudge AG Hill a bit closer to resigning and (perhaps) accepting responsibility
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