AUGUSTA — Four members of the House of Representatives have made a formal request to Attorney General Janet Mills to open a criminal investigation of Gov. Paul LePage.

Independent Rep. Jeff Evangelos of Friendship and Democrats Ben Chipman of Portland, Charlotte Warren of Hallowell and Pinny Beebe-Center of Rockland said in a letter dated Friday that LePage should be investigated for crimes involving extortion, improper influence, oppression and misuse of entrusted property.

The four representatives, in addition to requesting the investigation by Mills, called for the appointment of a special prosecutor and asked Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney, a Democrat, to prosecute LePage for the same official oppression charge she recently filed against a former principal from Waterville who allegedly attempted to have a sexual relationship with a student.

“There is little doubt in our minds that whatever the merits of the Waterville case, the misuse of state assets, $530,000, for the purpose of oppression and extortion, rise well above the issue of the Waterville case,” reads the letter. “The fair and consistent application of Maine’s criminal code requires your action. Otherwise, the erosion of public trust in our law enforcement system will result.”

Evangelos said his group is seeking disciplinary action against LePage on two fronts: For his role in threatening to withhold discretionary state funds for Good Will-Hinckley unless the organization rescinded an offer for House Speaker Mark Eves to be its president, and for what the group contends is a long-term pattern of a misuse of power by the governor.

That pattern, according to the letter, includes issues ranging from LePage’s threat to support lower funding for the Maine Community College System unless former President John Fitzsimmons resigned to his refusal to sell voter-approved conservation bonds unless the Legislature agrees with his plan to use revenues from timber harvesting on public lands to fund a heating efficiency program.

“We believe the full faith and confidence of Maine people in our justice system is at stake if our chief law enforcement officials fail to act to uphold the law and our oaths of office in reference to the actions and conduct of Paul LePage,” wrote Evangelos.

Evangelos and Chipman told reporters last week that they are also drafting impeachment orders against LePage, which they will present to the House of Representatives in January.

“Those are well underway and nearly complete,” said Evangelos. “Concurrent with that, the chief law enforcement in the state needs to get involved.”

LePage’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon. Mills’ office declined to comment.