OR: Gov. Kotek calls Senate Republicans 'disrespectful' after closed-door meetings
Gov. Tina Kotek spent about two hours listening to Republican and Democratic senators in separate closed-door meetings in the Capitol building on Monday as the GOP-led walkout that started May 3 continued to stall the Senate.
Kotek entered the Senate majority office to visit with Democrats at noon, on the heels of a meeting she had with Senate Republicans shortly after 11 a.m. Applause rang out from inside the room.
But Republican senators were less enthusiastic about meeting the Democratic governor. Just one, Dick Anderson of Lincoln City, turned up in person while the others joined through Zoom, a choice that clearly rankled Kotek.
“I think that says a lot about who’s interested in resolving the crisis,” Kotek later told the Capital Chronicle and another reporter. “It’s very difficult when the Senate Republicans don’t show up in a room.”
She called their refusal to attend the meeting in person “very disrespectful.”
She said she didn’t talk to the Republicans about whether they’d return on Tuesday, and didn’t indicate whether she was trying to strike a deal.
“We were just listening today,” Kotek said. “We were not negotiating.”
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2023/05/22/gov-kotek-calls-senate-republicans-disrespectful-after-closed-door-meetings/
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