Oregon Gov. Kitzhaber announces his resignation amid scandal

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Longtime Democratic Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber today announced his resignation amid allegations his fiancee used her relationship with him to enrich herself.

In a lengthy statement, Kitzhaber said he broke no laws and said his resignation would be effective on Wednesday.

"Nonetheless, I understand that I have become a liability to the very institutions and policies to which I have dedicated my career and, indeed, my entire adult life," he said.

The decision capped a wild week in which Kitzhaber seemed poised to step down, then changed his mind, but ultimately bowed to calls from legislative leaders that he quit the state's top job.

The announcement is a stunning fall from grace for the state's longest-serving chief executive.

Secretary of State Kate Brown, a Democrat like Kitzhaber, was expected to assume the office and become the first openly bisexual governor in the country. Unlike most states, Oregon doesn't have a lieutenant governor, and the state Constitution puts the secretary of state next in line.

Kitzhaber called Brown back to Oregon from a conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. People close to Kitzhaber say he asked her to come back after deciding to resign in the wake of the influence-peddling allegations involving his fiancee, a green-energy consultant.