State attorneys general (AG) are supposed to enforce the state’s laws on behalf of the state’s citizens, but several AG’s offices are at risk of becoming conduits for advancing a privately-funded political agenda.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has given millions of dollars to a group that funds placing lawyers in state AG offices for the purpose of pursuing politically driven environmental litigation. Such activities raise serious questions about political bias and conflicts of interest within a state’s leading law enforcement agency.
This is an unsettling effort that undermines the integrity of state law enforcement.
Having served as Washington’s attorney general, I readily acknowledge that the priorities of individual state AGs vary and reflect the political perspectives of voters in their states. However, a public policy program funded with more than $6 million from Bloomberg crosses the line between law enforcement and political activism.