Over in the NMI, Senate leadership is now scrambling to save face, saying that they asked the governor's personal legal counsel Viola Alepuyo to review the impeachment trial rules before she was hired to represent Torres as one of his four attorneys. Now, one senator is asking the governor to withdraw her as his attorney in the proceedings.

One senator is rushing to calm the chaos. After documents were revealed showing Governor Ralph Torres' personal attorney Viola Alepuyo making edits to the impeachment trial rules. Senator Karl King Nabors, who chairs the impeachment hearing committee, brushing it off.

Senator King-Nabors, in a written statement sent to KUAM, says Alepuyo did make the edits but it was before she was hired by the Governor and before the rules were passed. He says it is not uncommon for legislators to get input from members of the community. But in this case, Alepuyo isn't random. She is the chair of the Marianas Visitors Authority and in 2019 it was reported that the FBI searched her office when she was an attorney for Imperial Pacific International CNMI casino as part of the raid on the Governor. 

He admits that he asked Alepuyo to review time-lines in the impeachment rules before the Governor appointed her as one of his four attorneys. Now, he is asking the Governor to withdraw Alepuyo as his attorney of record. He wrote in part, "I want to...apologize for the unnecessary distraction that my oversight may have cause."

He added, 'I did not think it was going to be an issue." While it is unclear if that will happen, what is clear is that the Senator knew and only decided to make this request after the conflict was made public last night and not when the Governor announced Alepuyo would represent him several weeks ago and not when they voted on the rules Alepuyo reviewed. He says she is a close family friend who he consults regularly. 

Friday morning, Torres said he learned about Alepuyo's involvement yesterday. "When the time comes we are here to make sure that we follow the law. I personally do not think that there is any issue in terms of breaking any law. but when that comes I will make sure I follow what the law is," he said.

KUAM News pressed the governor on what he knew and when he knew it, to which he replied, "Again...you are asking me the same question I am going to tell you the same thing. I have not communicated with any of the senators and if you have have any other question you can go ahead and ask that to my lawyer."

KUAM has reached out to Viola Alepuyo for comment. Its not clear if Alepuyo disclosed her involvement before accepting her appointment. 

Senator King-Nabors has canceled the pre-hearing impeachment conference that was postponed to Monday. He says because House Speaker Edmund Villagomez did not agree to the terms outlined in the rules to serve as the House Prosecutor, the Senate will move forward with issuing deadlines.