This story will be updated.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Attorney General Aaron Frey said he began a romantic relationship last year with an employee he supervised, apologizing for what he called “an error in judgment.”
The Democratic attorney general said late Tuesday that his relationship did not constitute a breach in state law, office policy or legal rules. However, Maine’s normal consensual relationship policy emphasizes that supervisors who begin relationships with subordinates in state jobs should disclose them so other supervisory arrangements can be considered.
Frey’s relationship began in August, he said in a statement released by a communications professional outside of state government. He said Deputy Attorney General Christopher Taub will now supervise Frey’s romantic partner, though he did not immediately answer a question about when the arrangement changed or when others in the office knew of the relationship.
“I should have done this once we realized we had feelings for one another,” he said. “It was an error in judgment and for that I am sorry.”
The statement came after the Bangor Daily News began reporting on tips about Frey’s relationship that it received over the past week. The newspaper had not approached the attorney general about it by the time it was released just after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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