Jamie Goldberg

Other supporters closed ranks around the Portland mayoral hopeful Thursday.

The announcement comes after the agency asked for a 36% increase to its budget, saying it would begin dismissing claims without the new funding.

An email thread obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive shows that at least 13 candidates explicitly agreed to trade contributions to reach the donor threshold to qualify for public funds.

Chief Deputy Auditor Reed Brodersen said the auditor’s office had received new information that prompted it to reconsider the matter.

The announcement comes after the auditor’s office said it planned to take another look at whether Gonzalez broke campaign finance rules when he used public funds to spruce up his Wikipedia page.

Five top candidates for Portland mayor will participate in the debate.

The debate featured Rene Gonzalez, Mingus Mapps, Liv Osthus, Carmen Rubio and Keith Wilson.

The hourlong debate featured the five leading mayoral candidates.

The auditor’s office also defended the impartiality of the investigation while faulting Gonzalez for interfering in the review.

The auditor's office determination the omission violated city campaign disclosure rules.