Santa Clara University

The Associated Press talked to Center Senior Fellow in Government Ethics Judy Nadler about Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels' decision to bring in an outside firm to investigate the collapse of a stage at the Indiana State Fair, which resulted in the death of five people.

"'There's this sort of automatic default to say, we have people here internally who can take a look at this ... but for something so closely affiliated with the state, it would be wise to call upon someone who doesn't have any even perceived conflict of interest,'" said Nadler, a former mayor of Santa Clara, Calif.
 
"'I think it really is such a significant event ... it requires a level of independence to fully discern the facts and to fully convey to the public that this was a fair and thorough and impartial and nonpolitical look at what happened,' she said."