Oregon attorney general clears Portland mayor

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Attorney General John Kroger said Monday there's no credible evidence that Portland Mayor Sam Adams broke the law in his 2005 relationship with a teenager.

Adams, who is openly gay, has admitted he lied while campaigning for mayor about his relationship with Beau Breedlove. But Adams denies that the two were involved in a sexual relationship before Breedlove was 18.

Kroger issued a report on his investigation into whether Adams had sexual contact with Breedlove before he turned 18, which would have been a misdemeanor. Kroger also investigated whether Adams committed official misconduct in lying about the relationship.

Breedlove said he was 17 when he and Adams first kissed. But Kroger's report concluded that those accounts lacked corroborative evidence.

It also stated that Breedlove lacked credibility because of past inconsistent statements and a prior felony conviction, as well as evidence he sought financial gain from the scandal.

"At times, a responsible prosecutor may seek to charge an individual with a crime based solely on the uncorroborated testimony of a single witness," Kroger's report said. "However, a responsible prosecutor will do so only when there are no serious questions about the credibility of the witness's account.

"Here, there are serious questions about the credibility of Breedlove's account, due to his prior inconsistent statements, the lack of corroborating witnesses or evident, his attempt to gain personally from matters related to his involvement with Adams and his prior criminal record."

Kroger called a news conference to discuss the report on Monday. Mayor Adams' office said he would not comment on the report until after the news conference.

Efforts to reach Breedlove through past attorneys were unsuccessful.

Adams currently faces a recall effort on behalf of a group that claims he subverted the democratic process with deceptive campaigning and abused his power. The group claims the recall has nothing to do with Adams' sexual orientation.

Kroger also looked into whether Adams hired a reporter from the Portland Mercury for a position on his staff in an effort to cover up the relationship with Breedlove, but found no evidence to merit a criminal charge.

The report also considered accusations of misuse of government resources and theft by deception — which considered whether Adams asked for campaign contributions under false pretenses — but again found no evidence of a crime.