HPR spoke with Democratic state Rep. Della Au Belatti, who, along with Republican Rep. Kanani Souza, hand-delivered a letter to the governor this week renewing the call for Green to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate an unnamed "influential lawmaker" who was allegedly handed money in a paper bag in 2022.
The claim came to light during the federal bribery investigation into former House Rep. Ty Cullen and Sen. Kalani English.
Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez reaffirmed her position last week that there is no conflict of interest in her department’s investigation. Lopez explained that the Special Investigation and Prosecution Division, which is handling the issue, was created by the Legislature in 2022 to investigate public corruption. She added that she will accept the division’s recommendations at the end of their investigation.
This story aired on The Conversation on Feb. 20, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
