IF Oregon’s First “Lady” Cylvia Hayes had been discovered to have formerly been in a sham marriage with another woman, instead of with an Ethiopian man who wanted U.S. citizenship, she’d probably be enough of a star to the Portland elite to survive politically. As it is, she has had to appear before cameras in very moving tears, apologizing for her fraudulent marriage for cash, explaining her purchase of a parcel of land to grow pot and answering charges of ethics violations with regard to consulting contracts with the government. She just can’t get a break, which is shocking given her strong environmental convictions.

Hayes married and divorced the Ethiopian for $5,000. That’s about the only kind of marital crime still considered a crime in America — and it’s likely to become much more common as men “marry” foreign men and women “marry” foreign women in exchanges of citizenship and cash. Interestingly, nobody raises questions about the two men Hayes, with her oddly misspelled first name, previously divorced before her “marriage” of convenience to an immigrant. But then marital sociopaths are a dime a dozen in Oregon.

Here is Hayes in more halcyon times at a White House black tie gathering of the National Governor’s Association she attended with the 67-year-old twice-divorced Governor John Kitzhaber in 2011. At that time, she joked about her disregard for marriage. She wrote:

When [Delaware First Lady Carla Markell] started to introduce me she said, “This is Cylvia Hayes, from Oregon, the uh, First … uh, Governor’s uh … Significant …uh, partner…” I jumped in and said, “I’m complicated and my title is evolving.” Everybody laughed. I realized at that moment that was probably the first unmarried partner ever to attend an NGA event in the First Lady role. She went on to mention my professional background and political involvement and then she whispered to me, “Can I tell them about the NA thing?” I said, “Oh sure, why not?” (To myself I was thinking, “Uh oh. Some of these very prim and proper wives may not like this very much.”). She pointed to the First Spouses contact directory and announced that I interpreted NA to mean “Nuptually Agnostic”. The room roared in laughter. From that point forward nearly everyone was warm and welcoming to me.

Hayes gleams on the night of the White House party:

Please follow and like us: