Delaware election officials engaged directly with aides in Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s office amid a campaign finance scandal. The correspondence, obtained by The Associated Press, revealed that officials were keeping Hall-Long’s office informed about inquiries from the AP regarding amendments to several years of campaign finance reports. These reports had apparent inaccuracies, including the neglect to report loans amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence and Attorney General Kathleen Jennings, both Democrats, stated they would not pursue criminal charges against Hall-Long or her spouse for the campaign finance infractions identified in a forensic audit conducted by a former FBI executive. Hall-Long is vying for the Democratic nomination for governor in the primary scheduled for September 10.

The emails also showed that Albence’s office was aware of the personal Gmail account of a senior aide in Hall-Long’s office, Andrew Volturo, and provided updates to him. Volturo had previously declined to answer questions from the AP regarding Hall-Long’s campaign finances, suggesting he was uninvolved and unaware of the campaign’s issues. Despite the controversy, Hall-Long has stated that she will not file amended finance reports prior to the primary.