Senate Republicans say they could resort to the Legislature's subpoena power if they don't have confidence in the governor's investigation of mistakes at the state Department of Corrections.
Gov. Jay Inslee has named two former federal prosecutors to examine how the Department continued releasing prisoners early over 13 years. Republicans expressed skepticism in the independence of the governor's investigation, given the department falls under the governor's supervision.
Lawmakers are now demanding to see not just the investigators' final report, but copies of documents and interviews that investigators generate during their review.
In this video, the Corrections Secretary is questioned by lawmakers on Monday and pushes back on the idea that there's a culture problem at his Department. He acknowledges that since 2002, a software mistake led to 3,200 prisoners getting out early and that even when it was discovered in 2012, it was never fixed for three years.
