They may not be in hot legal water, but regarding ethics, it’s disconcerting. These sorts of stories are why populism has reemerged in recent years. Our elected leaders are more concerned about keeping the gravy train well-greased for the political elite than serving the people's interests. It’s also a bipartisan tangle, and both parties are up to their necks in these shady antics regarding top legal government officials and corporate America. It’s nothing new—big business and government have been intertwined for generations, albeit they used to be more adept at hiding these interactions.
In Colorado, Attorney General Phil Weiser has found himself in an ethical kerfuffle, chairing a secret club of attorneys general—Attorney General Alliance—whose bougie conferences are paid for by taxpayers and corporate donors, some of whom Weiser is suing. You already know the big names, like Juul, Pfizer, Google, and Facebook. The more you donate, the more access these corporate representatives have to the top legal officials in the country. Weiser chairs this organization.
It’s what you’d think happened when the Clinton Foundation was operational. While not an illegal gathering, it does cast a suspicious shadow concerning whose interests are being served, especially those targeted in legal actions. It’s gross bravado, part of the often cited ‘two separate rules’ dichotomy that’s an ongoing narrative between ordinary Americans and political class members. Kudos to CBS Colorado for doing some good reporting here:
An investigation by CBS News Colorado reveals how state attorneys general, including Colorado AG Phil Weiser, are attending lavish events funded, in part, by companies they're suing and investigating.
An organization called the Attorney General Alliance - made up of 48 attorneys general - is at the center of it all. Weiser is Chair the organization.
It's a private club that corporations and lobbyist organizations pay tens of thousands of dollars to belong to. Their membership buys them access to extravagant events where they can schmooze the top legal officers for state government, individuals who have sole discretion over whether to sue, settle, or investigate them.
CBS News Colorado received video of the group's 2021 annual conference in Maui from a Republican group. While its motives are political, the events in question include AGs from both parties.
The video shows Weiser and other AGs at the Grand Wailea Resort, a place billed as a "tropical oceanfront paradise" with "luxurious accommodations" that start at a thousand dollars a night, but AGs didn't have to pay a dime.
[…]
An independent audit of the organization's finances shows states paid $470,000 last year for their AGs to belong. Most of the group's funding - 70% or nearly $5 million - came from corporate sponsors, many of which also donate to AGs political campaigns.
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Of course, Weiser didn’t sit down for an interview but did say that these meetings are meant for all parties to serve common interests. Former Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman tried to downplay the allegations that these conferences are where nefarious deeds are hashed out. Still, she also attended these meetings and endorsed Weiser for attorney general. I’m sure everyone involved will claim this is just an ordinary conference of the usual legal clans representing both camps. Still, to most, these gatherings appear to be hotbeds of avarice and corruption.
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