Report: Schwarzenegger Possible Criminal Inquiry Over Alleged Misuse of Public Funds 
 
 WPA Pool/ Getty Images 
 
 Did former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger misuse tax payer funds to cover up sexual liaisons? 
 
 Radar Online claims the Californian Attorney General is launching a preliminary evaluation, being termed an "inquiry," to determine whether the former governor used his state-funded security details -- California Highway Patrol officers and vehicles -- to cover up women being escorted into his suite at the Sacramento Hyatt Regency. 
 
 A source tells "Entertainment Tonight" that "The whole thing has been proven false. The Attorney General isn't doing anything." 
 
 advertisement 
 
 
 
 According to The National Enquirer, veteran hotel security officer William Taylor said he witnessed Schwarzenegger using the security details at his disposal "to ferry scantily-clad women in-and-out of his suite" where he and wife Maria Shriver often stayed. 
 
 Schwarzenegger's attorney, Martin Singer, calls the Enquirer story "completely false." Singer tells ET, "Today's story from The National Enquirer is totally and completely false. Unfortunately, the media's relentless desire for new information has some outlets running stories that are made up by paying sources that have zero credibility. My client stated from the beginning that he takes full responsibility for his actions and deserves the public and media criticism. This does not entitle some in the media to be totally irresponsible." 
 
 According to The National Enquirer, Taylor claims, "They'd hurriedly escort the women through the service entrance on the second floor parking garage to the elevator that went to the governor's private wing... The women would usually stay for two to four hours and either leave through the hotel's main entrance or be driven away by the CHP in the same official vehicles." The National Enquirer also says that Taylor passed a polygraph test concerning his claims. 
 
 Others are speaking out on behalf of the former governor and this alleged situation. Retired CHP Sergeant Mark Hammond says, "I can say without a shadow of a doubt as a supervisor of his protective detail that at no time did I see Governor Schwarzenegger say or do anything that could be deemed inappropriate, and I was at his side for 7 years. As a supervisor, if anything had occurred, I would have been notified, even if it was technically off the record on his private time." 
 
 Retired CHP Officer Manny Trevino says, "I was an officer on Governor Schwarzenegger's protective detail for 7 years. During that time, I was at his side in California and abroad, and I can report that the claims in the National Enquirer regarding allegations about the governor's detail covering for him during any illicit activity are completely untrue. In all the time I worked with him, I never witnessed the governor acting in a less than honorable manner. I also never heard any other officer discuss any such claims. Governor Schwarzenegger always treated the officers on his detail with respect, and we had nothing but respect for him in return." 
 
 And Hyatt Regency Sacramento General Manager Ulrich Samietz adds, "We are not familiar with William Taylor, who claims to be a former head of security at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento in the National Enquirer article. As far as Governor Schwarzenegger is concerned, he was always respectful to our associates during his stays here." ||||| INF 
 
 By Jen Heger 
 
 Radar Legal Editor 
 
 The Californian Attorney General will conduct what’s being termed an “inquiry” into former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s alleged misuse of tax payer funds to cover up sexual liaisons. 
 
 In a bombshell exclusive, RadarOnline.com has learned the Office of the Attorney General, a branch of the Department of Justice, is conducting a preliminary evaluation into the scope of Schwarzenegger’s double life, which allegedly included using his state-funded security details to cover up women being escorted into his hotel room. 
 
 PHOTOS: The Costliest Celebrity Divorces 
 
 Veteran hotel security officer William Taylor said he witnessed the “Governator” using California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers and vehicles to ferry scantily-clad women in-and-out of his suite at the Sacramento Hyatt Regency where he and wife Maria Shriver often stayed. 
 
 “It makes me very angry just to think of what was going on at that time,” Taylor, who passed a polygraph test about his claims, told the latest edition of the National Enquirer. 
 
 PHOTOS: Hollywood’s Dirtiest Divorces 
 
 "On three differed occasions after the governor arrived alone at the Hyatt Regency, CHP Dignitary Protection Services arrived in their official vehicles, black Ford Crown Victoria sedans - about one to two hours later with one or two young females. 
 
 "They'd hurriedly escort the women through the service entrance on the second floor parking garage to the elevator that went to the governor's private wing... the women would usually stay for two to four hours and either leave through the hotel's main entrance or be driven away by the CHP in the same official vehicles." 
 
 PHOTOS: Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver Through The Years 
 
 The Attorney General's office told RadarOnline.com "there will be no comment" about the probe, a criminal matter, however multiple department sources have confirmed the decision. 
 
 Taylor was head of security at the hotel and is almost certain to be interviewed. 
 
 PHOTOS: The Hottest Divorcees in Bikinis 
 
 As RadarOnline previously reported, top lawmakers have already called for an investigation into the explosive sex scandal, after Republican Schwarzenegger admitted fathering a love child with his former housekeeper. 
 
 Eric Bauman, Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party and Chair of the Los Angeles Democratic Party, has demanded an official inquiry into the actor-turned-politician's finances to determine if he used state or campaign money to fund his extra-marital affairs. 
 
 Schwarzenegger has hired a public relations firm in the wake of the scandal. In a statement to RadarOnline.com, the firm denies Taylor’s charges. The release also included statements from various CHP officials and one executive from the hotel in question. 
 
 PHOTOS: Hollywood's Power Couples 
 
 
 
 RadarOnline.com has learned that Taylor is not backing off his charges. 
 
 Schwarzenegger served as California Governor from November 2003 until January 2011. 
 
 RELATED STORIES: 
 
 Secret DNA Test Proved Arnold Was Father Of Maid's Son 
 
 Maria Shriver Hires Private Detective For Divorce With Arnold Schwarzenegger 
 
 Arnold's Maid Cleans Up, Disappears & Hires A Lawyer ||||| SAN FRANCISCO — Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — the “Terminator" action hero who made "I'll be back" one of filmdom's most iconic phrases — may be mulling a political comeback, according to several GOP political insiders in California. 
 
 The prospect of Schwarzenegger’s return to elected politics in a 2018 U.S. Senate run — possibly as an independent — is generating increasing buzz in state Republican circles, fueled by the former governor’s seeming ability to get under the skin of President Donald Trump on social media. 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 The president’s caustic tweets about Schwarzenegger, the recent host of "Celebrity Apprentice," and their running feud has sparked talk that the intensely competitive Schwarzenegger — a seven-time Mr. Olympia world bodybuilding champ — may be interested in more than merely a verbal posedown with Trump. 
 
 His entry into the 2018 Senate race — when Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein would be 85 years old and up for reelection — “would give Arnold the stage to jam Trump for the next 16 months,’’ according to one veteran GOP strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity. 
 
 It would also enable Schwarzenegger to draw a contrast with the president on key issues, including climate change, political reform and even immigration. 
 
 Schwarzenegger spokesman Daniel Ketchell did not rule out a possible Senate run when asked to respond to the speculation. 
 
 “Right now Gov. Schwarzenegger’s focus is on using his platform to bring some sensibility and coherency to Washington by fighting for redistricting reform, like we did in California,’’ Ketchell told POLITICO via email Thursday. “We are keeping all of our options open as far as how we can accomplish that.” 
 
 Schwarzenegger, who as governor pursued political reforms including the “top two” primary system and a redistricting commission, has recently launched a major drive to end gerrymandering, a tradition he argues has benefited only partisan politics and gridlock — not the voters. 
 
 On Facebook, Schwarzenegger has taken both parties to task on the issue, warning that “Republicans and Democrats are incredibly skilled at screwing over the voters — and keeping them in the dark about their trickery.” 
 
 The attacks on both major parties is leading some to suggest Schwarzenegger, a lifelong Republican, may be eyeing a future role as an independent candidate. 
 
 Longtime California politics watchers say a Schwarzenegger return to the political stage would be riveting — and is entirely plausible. 
 
 As a candidate, “he would become an instant player,’’ not only on political reform but also on his signature issue of “cap and trade and climate change,’’ said political analyst David McCuan of Sonoma State University. “[Schwarzenegger is] someone who could play a huge role if Republicans wanted any hope of having relevance in California.’’ 
 
 Republicans currently lag Democrats by nearly 20 percentage points in voter registration in the state, having lost ground since Schwarzenegger held office from 2003 to 2011. 
 
 McCuan notes that, more than a decade before Trump’s presidential run, it was Schwarzenegger’s shocking 2003 recall victory in California — as a political outsider who issued a call to “Sweep Sacramento Clean’’ — that served as a template for political revolution. 
 
 “He was going to “Drain the Swamp” before Trump even had that language,’’ McCuan said. 
 
 View Schwarzenegger to Trump: Let's switch jobs Arnold Schwarzenegger responds to President Donald Trump on Thursday. 
 
 But Schwarzenegger supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the Republican presidential primary and refused to vote for Trump in the general election. Trump returned the favor in January by mocking Schwarzenegger after the new “Apprentice” show debuted in early January, tweeting that it “got swamped” in the ratings. 
 
 The two have continued their running feud since then, with Schwarzenegger criticizing Trump for bypassing former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado for agriculture secretary and knocking Scott Pruitt, Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, for leaving open the possibility that the administration could undermine California’s vehicle emission standards. 
 
 Schwarzenegger also ripped the president’s initial executive order barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, calling aspects of its implementation “crazy.” 
 
 Last weekend, it was Trump’s turn to respond. In the same tweetstorm in which he accused former President Barack Obama of tapping his phones, Trump took a shot at Schwarzenegger. 
 
 “Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show,” the president tweeted. 
 
 Bill Whalen, who served as speechwriter and strategist for former Gov. Pete Wilson, described a political climate in which Trump and Schwarzenegger would both disrupt and “feed off each other.” 
 
 For the president, he noted, tweeting about Schwarzenegger usually sends the media off on a distracted goose chase that draws attention away from more serious inquiries like Russia connections. For Schwarzenegger, the president’s attention “gives him relevance.” 
 
 But Whalen noted that a Schwarzenegger Senate run would have its own hurdles. "First, he’d have to get past Dianne Feinstein,’’ he said, noting that the challenges would be greater for an independent candidate under the top-two primary system that Schwarzenegger himself backed. 
 
 Morning Score newsletter Your guide to the permanent campaign — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. 
 
 Veteran GOP political consultant Luis Alvarado, founder of California-based Luis Alvarado Public Affairs Consulting — and a strong #NeverTrump Republican voice leading up to the election — says the timing might be right for a Schwarzenegger political move. 
 
 “In politics after Donald Trump, nothing is crazy any longer. We’re in the third dimension here,’’ he said. “Arnold Schwarzenegger, who actually has more political experience than Trump, would certainly seem to fit a mold to what some of the electorate would find attractive.” 
 
 And the so-called Governator’s return to politics would be seen by many Republicans as “almost like a silver bullet” to counter the president, Alvarado said. 
 
 “Donald Trump has had the ability to manipulate all the news and cameras to him, and Arnold Schwarzenegger would be like kryptonite, or an anti-matter device, that would somehow restore balance in this universe of madness.”
– California's attorney general will investigate accusations that Arnold Schwarzenegger used state-funded security personnel to help arrange and cover up his extra-marital activities, according to Radar. William Taylor, a former law enforcement officer who claims to have been head of security at the Sacramento Hyatt Regency, has told the National Enquirer that he witnessed Schwarzenegger using California Highway Patrol officers and vehicles to ferry scantily clad young women to and from the suite where he often stayed. "They'd hurriedly escort the women through the service entrance on the second-floor parking garage to the elevator that went to the governor's private wing," Taylor told the tabloid. Schwarzenegger's attorney Martin Singer, however, tells Entertainment Tonight that the Enquirer story is "totally and completely false." Former CHP officers who served with Schwarzenegger's protective detail have also branded the Enquirer story a fake, and the hotel's general manager says he's never heard of Taylor.