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===2022 Feb 10 - [https://eidclimate.org/minnesota-considers-legislation-to-block-attorney-general-from-accepting-bloomberg-attorneys/ MINNESOTA CONSIDERS LEGISLATION TO BLOCK ATTORNEY GENERAL FROM ACCEPTING BLOOMBERG ATTORNEYS]=== | |||
*As EID Climate has noted before, Attorney General Keith Ellison currently employees two Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAGs) who are not Minnesota state government employees, but rather have been placed in the Ellison’s office by the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at the NYU Law School, which also pays their salaries. The center was started in 2017 thanks to a $5.6 million grant from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the arrangement has drawn intense criticism for allowing privately-funded organizations to gain a foothold in taxpayer-funded state government offices to carry out particular agenda. | |||
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*Since at least 2017, Bloomberg has funneled money to attorneys general offices in nine states and the District of Columbia to essentially underwrite government lawsuits against oil companies. Much of that funding came through New York University law school’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. It used a $6 million Bloomberg Philanthropies grant to fund the hiring of “special assistant attorneys general” to help states sue oil companies for their alleged culpability for climate change. | *Since at least 2017, Bloomberg has funneled money to attorneys general offices in nine states and the District of Columbia to essentially underwrite government lawsuits against oil companies. Much of that funding came through New York University law school’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. It used a $6 million Bloomberg Philanthropies grant to fund the hiring of “special assistant attorneys general” to help states sue oil companies for their alleged culpability for climate change. | ||
*And despite Bloomberg’s preening about the nobility of his efforts, the AG placement scheme never fully passed the smell test. The Wall Street Journal dubbed it “state AGs for rent.” The Oregon legislature’s top lawyer rule that its state AG’s acceptance of a Bloomberg-funded lawyer was not compliant with state laws and regulations. Even New York had to label Eisenson “a volunteer” to dodge questions and concerns using a privately paid staffer to shape and execute state legal policy. | *And despite Bloomberg’s preening about the nobility of his efforts, the AG placement scheme never fully passed the smell test. The Wall Street Journal dubbed it “state AGs for rent.” The Oregon legislature’s top lawyer rule that its state AG’s acceptance of a Bloomberg-funded lawyer was not compliant with state laws and regulations. Even New York had to label Eisenson “a volunteer” to dodge questions and concerns using a privately paid staffer to shape and execute state legal policy. | ||
===2021 Jan 07 - [https://www.startribune.com/agenda-dollars-are-buying-state-government-jobs/600015808/ Agenda dollars are buying state government jobs]=== | |||
*Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison appealed to Bloomberg's priorities in his application to NYU, even hinting at investigating energy companies if he was given some privately paid for hired help. Minnesota's AG office landed not one but two of these full-time Bloomberg staffers. They are paid by NYU not the state of Minnesota. According to a Fox News report, NYU files "biweekly reports on its activities" with Bloomberg Philanthropies. | |||
*Bloomberg must be pleased with his Minnesota investment. According to a June 24, 2020, Star Tribune article, his two lawyers filed a lawsuit against several oil companies and refiners hoping to replicate Minnesota's first-in-the-nation tobacco litigation that made a Minnesota law firm's partners into mega-millionaires. | |||
===2020 Feb 18 - [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bloomberg-network-climate-lawyers-ag Bloomberg’s ‘mercenaries’: Billionaire Dem funding network of climate lawyers inside state AG offices]=== | ===2020 Feb 18 - [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bloomberg-network-climate-lawyers-ag Bloomberg’s ‘mercenaries’: Billionaire Dem funding network of climate lawyers inside state AG offices]=== | ||
*The arrangement, which currently pays the salaries of Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAGs) in 10 Democratic AG offices, is drawing new scrutiny now that Bloomberg is running for president. The New York University School of Law's State Energy & Environmental Impact Center, which was started in 2017 with $5.6 million from Bloomberg's nonprofit, hires mid-career lawyers as "research fellows" before providing them to state AGs where they assist in pursuing "progressive" policy goals through the courts. | *The arrangement, which currently pays the salaries of Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAGs) in 10 Democratic AG offices, is drawing new scrutiny now that Bloomberg is running for president. The New York University School of Law's State Energy & Environmental Impact Center, which was started in 2017 with $5.6 million from Bloomberg's nonprofit, hires mid-career lawyers as "research fellows" before providing them to state AGs where they assist in pursuing "progressive" policy goals through the courts. | ||
===2020 Jan 04 - [https://dailycaller.com/2020/01/04/michael-bloomberg-donald-trump/ Republican AGs Say Bloomberg Is Secretly Embedding An Army Of Anti-Trump Attorneys Inside State Offices]=== | |||
*“What’s problematic is the arrangement through which a private organization or individual can promote an overtly political agenda by paying the salaries of government employees,” Indiana Attorney General (AG) Curtis Hill, a Republican, told the Daily Caller News Foundation, citing a common criticism of New York University’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center (SEEIC). | |||
===2018 Nov 06 - [https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-ags-for-rent-1541549567 State AGs for Rent]=== | ===2018 Nov 06 - [https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-ags-for-rent-1541549567 State AGs for Rent]=== | ||
===2018 Oct 10 - [https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2018/10/09/bloomberg_funds_green_work_of_democrat_state_attorneys_offices.html How Bloomberg Embeds Green Warriors in Blue-State Governments]=== | |||
*Although many government agencies have employees funded by outside sources, critics say using special interest money for targeted government action is inappropriate. Christopher Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who wrote a report on the NYU center, said the fellowships come with specific strings attached. “[AG] offices must agree to use prosecutors to ‘advance progressive clean energy, climate change, and environmental legal positions,’” Horner said. | |||
*Personally and through his political groups, Bloomberg has also donated millions of dollars to Democratic attorneys general campaigns in this midterm election cycle. For Democratic campaigns in general, he has announced plans to spend $80 million this year. | |||
==='''2018 Aug 28 - [https://cei.org/studies/law-enforcement-for-rent/ Law Enforcement for Rent]'''(through report)=== | |||
*Author’s Note: This paper is based on documents obtained over two and a half years from open records requests and, in some cases, subsequent litigation. Due to the volume of records, not all cited records are included in the body of this paper. Key documents are provided in the paper’s appendix, which can be accessed at CEI.org. The complete collection of documents cited in this paper is available at ClimateLitigationWatch.org, a project of the nonprofit public interest law firm Government Accountability & Oversight. | |||
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