From the Senate Communications Thursday (May 23):

Statement in response to questions regarding Senate President Donna Mercado Kim’s inquiry into her son’s application to the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law:

“The inquiry regarding the status of my son’s application, in my opinion, was not a violation of the State Ethics Code or Senate Rules. The inquiry was made in my role as a concerned mother from home. There was no possibility of influence because I was simply calling to see whether his application was received and the call was made after the notification for admission went out. My call to the President was an inquiry on whether or not I could get this information and I told her I would understand if I was not able to. The bottom line is no application was submitted and there was clearly no influence in the school’s decision-making process.” 

Read Civil Beat’s related story, Did Hawaii’s Senate President Violate The State Ethics Code?

—Chad Blair