Justice department officials recently concluded there's no evidence establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone knowingly misreported a $500,000 donation to the Democratic Party of Oregon. But the shoddy due diligence, failure to resolve conflicting information and arrogance by state officials overseeing campaign finance laws show plenty of poor decisions, the editorial board writes.

Rosenblum recused herself from the investigation into disgraced cryptocurrency executive Nishad Singh, whose $500,000 donation to the Democratic Party of Oregon was falsely reported as coming from a Las Vegas company. Rosenblum should have ensured independence long ago, considering the cozy relationship she and former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan have had with the Democratic Party.

A Bend lawyer has asked Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to open a criminal investigation into whether the Democratic Party of Oregon knowingly reported false information about who gave a $500,000 campaign contribution.