State election officials in Delaware communicated directly with one or more aides in Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long's office last year amid a scandal involving her campaign finance reports, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press.
On Oct. 23, the AP emailed election officials with questions about apparent errors in amended filings by Hall-Long. Citing technical issues, officials sent a follow-up response the next day - while also alerting a top aide in Hall-Long's office. Volturo has previously rebuffed questions from the AP about Hall-Long's campaign finances, implying he had no involvement in or knowledge about the campaign. He did not respond to emails Thursday.
After learning of the emails in response to a November FOIA request, the AP submitted another FOIA request in May for all election department communications with six specific employees in Hall-Long's office, including Volturo. The department said it had no responsive records. In an opinion last week, Jennings' chief deputy sided with the elections department, describing its records search as both "extensive" and "adequate."