State comptroller Keith Regan will serve as acting lieutenant governor after Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke announced an indefinite leave of absence.
Gov. Josh Green announced that Regan will take office effective immediately, while still serving as comptroller. In a statement, he called Regan a "steady and trusted leader who understands the responsibility that comes with this role."
“I am grateful for the Governor’s trust and mindful of the responsibility that comes with this temporary designation,” Regan said in a statement. “During this period, my focus will be on supporting continuity in state government and working with the Governor’s team to serve the people of Hawaiʻi with care, respect and steadiness.”
The announcement comes hours after Luke announced she will take an indefinite leave of unpaid absence, and three days after announcing she will not run for reelection.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to take a leave of absence, without pay, for an indefinite period,” Luke’s statement read. “This decision is not made lightly. Serving the people of Hawai‘i has been the honor of my professional life, and I remain deeply committed to the responsibilities entrusted to me. I understand that allegations which have been made against me are concerning. I ask for the public’s understanding and to allow this process to move forward appropriately.”
Her statement came a day after it was reported that the Department of the Attorney General had sent Luke’s office a target letter indicating that she was being investigated for bribery. Luke had previously admitted her possible involvement in a mysterious cash transaction in 2022, wherein an FBI investigation had observed an unidentified person giving an unnamed “influential lawmaker” a paper bag containing $35,000 at a dinner.
In February, Luke said she had never accepted the $35,000, but admitted that she had accepted $10,000 in checks from lobbyists at the same dinner. She claimed she returned the money after former state Rep. Ty Cullen — an associate of those lobbyists and the FBI informant who observed the transaction — was charged with bribery.
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