Swallow defends himself after calls for resignation


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SALT LAKE CITY — In an appearance on KSL's Doug Wright Show, John Swallow again said that he's not going to quit his job at the State Capitol.

His comments come just one day after Gov. Gary Herbert came close to saying he would fire the embattled attorney general if he could.

"I'm increasingly alarmed at everything that's bubbling out," said Gov. Herbert Tuesday. "What I consider ethical challenges, ethical violations. I can say that if he worked for me with all that's coming up, he wouldn't be working for me today."

Swallow said his biggest problem right now is "misinformation." He continued to deny he's done anything wrong or unethical, in spite of a list of allegations that raise enough questions to spark five separate investigations.

At a clean air event Tuesday, Gov. Herbert said he's frustrated at how long the investigations are taking. Likewise, Swallow said he was as frustrated as anyone else with the pace of the investigations, but said he hoped they were full and thorough.

"My reaction to the governor's comments is that he has the right to hire and fire his staff and so do I," Swallow said. "The reality is I don't work for him, and I'm an elected official. But Doug, I'm as frustrated as he is by how long this is taking. I can't influence it one way or another. But i want the investigation to be thorough.

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"I welcome the investigation," he said. "I called for the investigation."

Speaking about various calls for his resignation, and specifically about a call from the conservative Sutherland Institute think tank last week, Swallow said he would not be intimidated.

"It takes a lot of courage to stand strong in the face of fire, knowing your convictions, knowing what you did and didn't do and to continue to fight for the opportunity to fight for a vision you believe in, and not to back down from intimidation," he said.

Swallow said he had remained largely silent during the slew of allegations because he didn't want to distract from the work of the Attorney General's office. He also said that, while many allegations had been made against him, none impugned the AG office itself. He said the office continues to prosecute the people they need to prosecute.

"Despite the distraction we're having, we're doing an awfully good job," he said.

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