KATU: PORTLAND, Ore. – In a brief interview with KATU in early January, Gov. John Kitzhaber made an incredible claim about the failed launch of Cover Oregon’s website. “In late October was when I first learned about the problems,” Kitzhaber said. The claim was incredible because the website had already missed its Oct. 1 launch date. Kitzhaber was, in effect, saying he didn’t know there were problems until weeks after one of the most important projects under his watch had already failed.
It was incredible because mountains of reports from the state’s quality-assurance contractor had been raising glaring red flags for almost two years. It was incredible because the state had implemented a stringent set of checks and balances for the specific purpose of making sure the project didn’t spiral without people in power knowing. And it was incredible because the KATU Investigators have unearthed emails and conducted interviews laying out repeated attempts by lawmakers and others involved with the project to get Kitzhaber’s help in righting what was clearly a sinking ship…