Lobbyists target attorneys general; Dickstein touts its 'strong relationships' with AGs
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Lobbyists are expanding their circle of influence as they increasingly target state attorneys general in efforts to persuade the prosecutors to drop investigations or negotiate favorable settlements for corporate clients.
An investigative report by the New York Times found the lobbyists buttonhole the attorneys general at lavish corporate-sponsored conferences and donate money to their election campaigns. Some former attorneys general or their deputies quickly begin lobbying their replacements, while the law firm Dickstein Shapiro touts its expertise and “strong relationships” with attorneys general.
The newspaper says it obtained emails from more than 20 states that “reveal a level of lobbying by representatives of private interests that had been more typical with lawmakers than with attorneys general.”
Corporate sponsors donate money to associations of Republican and Democratic attorneys general that eventually finds its way to the campaign coffers of attorneys general, the story says. Several of the largest donors are companies or groups that have been the subject of investigations or want the AG’s help in challenging federal regulations.
The Times story begins with a meeting organized by the Democratic Attorneys General Association at the “opulent” Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in California. A Dickstein Shapiro lawyer representing 5-Hour Energy found Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster at the conference and said she had learned that Missouri was among the states investigating the company for deceptive advertising claims. Koster made the call and confirmed there was an investigation.
“By the end of the weekend,” the story says, Koster “had ordered his staff to pull out of the inquiry, a clear victory for 5-Hour Energy.” Koster told the Times that the lobbying did not influence his office’s actions and he ended the inquiry because he didn’t think it was warranted. He added that he drinks 5-Hour Energy. He also said Dickstein Shapiro lobbying and corporate campaign contributions did not affect his actions with regard to investigations of two other law firm clients.
The story also detailed Dickstein Shapiro’s lobbying efforts with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who told the Times that the efforts did not affect her decisions. She has also attended events sponsored by the Republican Attorneys General Association, receiving nearly $25,000 worth of airfare, hotels and meals from the group in a two-year period. Bondi says the travel also did not influence any decisions.
