SALEM, OR --  Secretary of State Kate Brown released a statement Thursday morning, calling the controversy swirling around Governor John Kitzhaber and his fiancee Cylvia Hayes "Bizarre and unprecedented."  According to Oregon's Constitution, Brown would become Governor should Kitzhaber vacate his position.

"Late Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from the Governor while I was in Washington, DC at a Secretaries of State conference. He asked me to come back to Oregon as soon as possible to speak with him in person and alone," Brown said in the written statement.  "I got on a plane yesterday morning and arrived at 3:40 in the afternoon.  I was escorted directly into a meeting with the Governor. It was a brief meeting. He asked me why I came back early from Washington, DC, which I found strange.  I asked him what he wanted to talk about. The Governor told me he was not resigning, after which, he began a discussion about transition."

Brown continued, "This is clearly a bizarre and unprecedented situation.  I informed the Governor that I am ready, and my staff will be ready, should he resign.  Right now I am focused on doing my job for the people of Oregon."