FILE - In this Tuesday, March 9, 2021 file photo, Gov. Ralph Northam, left, listens as his chief of staff, Clark Mercer, answers a question about the investigation of the Virginia Parole board during a press conference at the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, Va. In a 2020 meeting, members of Northam’s administration, including Mercer, criticized the state inspector general over his ongoing investigation into the parole board and made clear they wanted to keep subsequent findings from being made public, according to an audio recording of the conversation. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2020, file photo Virginia Secretary of Public Safety, Brian Moran, foreground, introduces Gov. Ralph Northam, right, and others during a news conference announcing Northam's legislative criminal justice priorities in Richmond, Va. In a 2020 meeting, members of Northam’s administration, including Moran, criticized the state inspector general over his ongoing investigation into the parole board and made clear they wanted to keep subsequent findings from being made public, according to an audio recording of the conversation. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)