Marc Dann
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) -Articles of impeachment were filed Tuesday against embattled Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann.
Dann, who has resisted calls to resign amid a sex scandal in his office, was charged in the resolution with gross neglect of duties and making misleading statements under oath.
The resolution, which was brought by fellow Democrats, outlines nine counts against Dann. The House impeachment articles must get Republican support in order to send the charges to the Senate for a trial.
"We have identified a pattern of misconduct that we believe rises to the level of impeachable offenses," Reps. Dan Dodd, D-Hebron, Jennifer Garrison, D-Marietta, and Mark Okey, D-Carrollton, said in a joint statement.
"We promised the people of Ohio to end a culture of corruption that existed in the past, and we are fulfilling that promise by cleaning our own house when events and circumstances warrant," the Democrats said.
The impeachment articles were filed against Dann about two weeks he admitted to having an affair with a subordinate and an internal investigation found that unprofessional and casual behavior was tolerated under Dann's watch.
"Management employees encouraged and tolerated a workplace atmosphere of frequent profanity, extremely casual and improper personal interactions with subordinates and a general lack of professionalism and respect," a 57-page internal report said.
Among those who have called for Dann's resignation is Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.
In a letter to Dann from them and other top Democratic leaders, they wrote that they have lost "even the most remote hope that you can continue to effectively serve as attorney general."
For his part, Dann has refused to step down, arguing that he has not committed an impeachable offense.
"The Attorney General has said that he does not believe there are grounds for impeachment, and he will continue to do the job that he was elected to do," said Dann spokesman Jason Stanford said in statement.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo by e-mail at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.