The Hawaiʻi State Senate issued a statement today following a federal court hearing in which former State Senator J. Kalani English and former State Representative Ty Cullen both pleaded guilty to charges of honest services wired fraud:
“As a legislative body, we are dismayed and disappointed by the events that have transpired over the past week. The egregious actions of former Senator English and former Representative Cullen have severely undermined the Legislature’s credibility, destroyed public trust, and have casted a pall over the work that the Senate is trying to accomplish for the people of Hawaiʻi.
Their actions are not reflective of the values and standards that we strive to uphold as public officials. The Senate will continue to take the necessary actions to increase transparency, combat corruption and expand ethics training to all members and staff.
Let us be clear – we condemn the actions of former Senator English and former Representative Cullen and will work to ensure that individuals who abuse their positions of power are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”