Questions raised about Gov. Cox’s knowledge of Investigation on Maj. Gen. Michael Turley

SALT LAKE CITY — An Army Inspector General’s investigation into the now-former Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard, Maj. Gen. Michael Turley, stretched on for two years before Utah Governor Spencer Cox placed Turley on leave nearly two weeks ago.

Documents reviewed by KSL show that the investigation started in 2021 after an anonymous whistleblower filed a complaint alleging Turley had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a subordinate enlisted soldier.

KSL requested records about the allegations from the Governor’s Office a year ago, only to be told the Governor’s Office could not find any such records.

The timeline raises questions about when Governor Cox first learned of the whistleblower complaint, and why the governor did not remove Turley from command until two weeks ago.

The Utah National Guard announced on August 17 that Governor Cox had placed Turley on paid leave. The announcement came a day after the National Guard received notification from the U.S. Army Inspector General it had concluded an investigation into Turley.

In a news release, the Utah National Guard said neither the governor’s office nor the Utah National Guard had received a report of the Army Inspector General’s findings.

The substance of the whistleblower complaint centered on allegations Turley engaged in a multi-year extramarital relationship with an enlisted soldier. This relationship, the complaint alleged, continued even after Turley became Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard in November of 2019.

KSL first learned of the whistleblower complaint in August 2022. Exactly one year ago, on August 30, 2022, KSL submitted a public records request to the Utah Governor’s Office under the state’s open records law.

The request sought “any communication between Governor Spencer Cox or members of the Governor’s staff with or about Utah National Guard Adjutant General Michael Turley or members of Turley’s staff, regarding a complaint of sexual misconduct against Turley, between August 2021 and August 30, 2022.”

KSL also asked for any communication between Governor Cox or his staff with the Department of the Army Inspector General about Turley during the same window of time.

In a formal response dated September 7, 2022, the Governor’s Office reported it “did not find records responsive to the request.”

A week later, on September 13, 2022, KSL submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of the Army Office of the Inspector General. The FOIA request asked for “any documents received by the Army Inspector General regarding allegations of sexual misconduct against Utah National Guard Adjutant General Michael Turley.”

A two-year investigation

On April 7, 2023, the Department of the Army notified KSL it would not provide any response to the FOIA request until at least September 2023.

Unanswered questions

KSL was unable to publicly report on the existence of the whistleblower complaint against Turley, or the investigation it triggered, in 2022 because it could not independently corroborate them.

However, the timeline established by KSL’s records requests suggests members of Governor Cox’s staff likely became aware of the whistleblower complaint at least as early as August 2022.

After Governor Cox placed Turley on paid administrative leave this year, KSL asked the Governor’s Office to clarify when it first learned of the complaint and the Army Inspector General’s investigation.

On August 17, 2023, nearly a year after KSL’s initial outreach, KSL emailed Governor Cox’s public information officer, Emma Williams, to ask when the Governor’s Office was first notified of the allegations, whether the Governor’s Office knew of any other investigations or allegations against Turley and whether the Governor’s Office was aware of the pending results of the Army Inspector General’s investigation when President Joe Biden visited Utah on August 9 and briefly met with both Governor Cox and Maj. Gen. Turley on the tarmac at Utah’s Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base.

Williams did not reply to KSL’s email.

Turley’s departure

Turley told KSL on August 18, 2023 that he denied “any allegation of an improper relationship.” Days later, on August 21, Governor Cox announced Turley’s intention to retire and his stepping down as Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard. The governor said he’d appointed Brig. Gen. Daniel Boyack to replace Turley.