Although the Kinjo-Mitsunaga trial ended with a not guilty verdict for all the defendants, it drew attention to pay-to-play practices in Hawaii's politics and government, contributing to the loss of public trust.
Corruption indictments and convictions of government officials and employees led to the creation of the Standards of Conduct Commission, which I chaired in 2022. Most of the commission's recommendations to improve transparency and accountability have been adopted by Congress, but public financing of elections and executives and family members of companies receiving government contracts and subsidies have Several important bills have yet to be considered, including banning Americans from donating to elected officials' campaigns.
We hope that the evidence presented in Kinjo-Mitsunaga will encourage Congress to move forward with these bills to restore public trust in Hawaii’s state government.
Dan Foley
Kailua
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