The Campaign Spending Commission is looking into the expenditure reports for state Rep. Romy Cachola’s election funds.
On Friday, Executive Director Kristin E. Izumi-Nitao said the commission is working with the Friends of Romy Cachola committee regarding expenditure-related concerns it has, but she hesitated to classify the review as an investigation.
Izumi-Nitao said she could not elaborate further and that the commissioner responsible for communicating with the committee was not available Friday for comment.
Cachola (D, Sand Island-Kalihi-Airport) released a statement Friday saying he is aware "that the commission is making inquiries of a number of individuals."
"We intend to fully cooperate and clarify any misunderstandings," the statement said.
Cachola declined to disclose what the misunderstandings might be.
Cachola’s office said he believes the inquiry, which should have been kept confidential, somehow was leaked to the media. He said he planned to uphold his end of the confidential nature of the communications by not making any further comments.
In the statement, Cachola voiced concern that one or more of his past opponents could be using the commission’s inquiry "as a means to unfairly discredit and punish me, my family, supporters and friends."
Cachola, 74, previously a Honolulu City Council member, returned to the state House in 2012 after narrowly defeating 26-year-old first-time candidate Nicole Velasco, who worked as a researcher at the state House and for the state auditor before becoming executive secretary of Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s Neighborhood Commission.
Cachola told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he received the inquiry from the commission a few days prior to the information going public and that he has until some time in April to respond.
"Please rest assured that I will do my best to serve the public," he said in the release.
