An at times emotional John Kitzhaber announced this afternoon he is resigning as Governor of Oregon, effective on Wednesday at 10 a.m.  Kitzhaber is stepping aside amid a criminal investigation involving himself and his fiancée Cylvia Hayes, who is alleged to have used her relationship with Kitzhaber to land contracts for her business as a clean-energy consultant.  Kitzhaber says he is confident he has not broken any laws or taken any actions or been dishonorable in his actions, and will cooperate with all investigations.  He added “I am equally confident that once they have been concluded Oregonians will see that I have never put anything before my love for and commitment to Oregon and faithfully fulfilling the responsibilities of the public offices I have held.”  Kitzhaber also expressed his disdain for what has transpired in the press over the last few months, saying ”it is deeply troubling to me to realize that we have come to a place in the history of this great state of ours where a person can be charged, tried, convicted and sentenced by the media with no due process and no independent verification of the allegations involved.”  He said he was more troubled many of his former allies accepted the allegations at face value, but understood why he was asked by Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek to resign.  Kitzhaber said it was not in his nature to step away from a job he has undertaken, apologizing to those who had supported him in his re-election bid last year, adding he would continue to pursue shared goals in another venue.  He also said “One thing I hope people know about me is that I love this state and its people, its rivers, its mountains and its landscapes with every fiber of my being.”  Kitzhaber served just over 12 years as Oregon’s governor, from 1995 to 2003 and from 2009 up to now.  Secretary of State Kate Brown will take over as Governor when Kitzhaber steps aside on Wednesday. Read the Governor’s announcement that he will resign:  http://1.usa.gov/19fHFrP