Multiple state Freedom Caucuses, in letters first seen by Breitbart News, are asking their states’ attorneys general to leave the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), citing the group’s “financial mismanagement” and its “leftward shift.”
The Freedom Caucus legislators from Mississippi, South Carolina, and South Dakota are asking their respective state’s attorneys general and an attorney general-elect to leave the “left-wing organization,” citing the group’s “financial mismanagement” and its “leftward shift.”
The state Freedom Caucus acknowledged a letter sent earlier this year from a dozen NAAG members — including Mississippi and South Carolina’s current attorneys general — to the organization’s Democrat president about the leftward shift and financial dealings of the organization and asked for “financial reform” and to “restructure NAAG.”
However, as the Mississippi Freedom Caucus explaine, the letter “is not nearly enough,” which is why they are asking Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch to “quit” the “left-wing organization” and “bring home any money sitting at NAAG that belongs in the hands of the Mississippi State government and Magnolia State taxpayers.”
The Mississippi Freedom Caucus added:
It is unacceptable for Mississippi to have money from public enforcement cases feeding into an organization that is run by left-wing career staff in Washington, D.C., and that shares control with elected officials from places like New York and California. Money from resolving claims on behalf of the State should flow to our citizens and our government, not fall under the influence of left-wing officials in left-wing states. As conservatives, we spend a lot of our time protecting our state and our taxpayers from liberal control at the hands of the federal government. The same principles apply here—New York, New Jersey, and D.C. shouldn’t be calling the shots on our money.
To make matters worse, NAAG is sitting on a massive pile of assets that are stashed in foreign stocks and otherwise being treated like an off-the- books piggy bank that is totally unaccountable to the members of our legislature. We have appropriations rules, investment rules, and oversight rules for a reason. NAAG isn’t compliant with any of that, even though NAAG has repeatedly identified its assets as being state money.
None of this should be allowed to continue. Bipartisan organizations like NAAG are always insidiously left-wing, relying on compliant Republicans to maintain their façade and exercise their supposed bipartisan authority. They shouldn’t have you, a Mississippi official, serving in leadership. Indeed, they shouldn’t count our state in their ranks at all. And they certainly shouldn’t have control or influence over our money.
Additionally, the South Carolina Freedom Caucus explained that despite the letter, they want South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson to “consider taking even stronger action” by “joining [her] other colleagues and leave this left-wing organization” in addition to “bringing home the money sitting at NAAG that belongs in the hands of the South Carolina government and Palmetto State taxpayers.”
The South Carolina Freedom Caucus added:
We believe it is critical that we do not allow South Carolina dollars obtained from public enforcement cases to continue feeding into an organization that is run by left-wing career staff in Washington, D.C., and that shares control with elected officials from places like New York and California. Money from resolving claims on behalf of the State should flow to our citizens and our government, not fall under the influence of left-wing officials in left-wing states. As conservatives, we spend a lot of our time protecting our state and our taxpayers from liberal control at the hands of the federal government. The same principles apply here—New York, New Jersey, and D.C. shouldn’t be calling the shots on our money.
Additionally, NAAG is sitting on a massive pile of assets that are stashed in foreign stocks and otherwise being treated like an off-the-books slush fund that is unaccountable to the members of our legislature. We have appropriations rules, investment rules, and oversight rules, but NAAG isn’t compliant with any of that, even though NAAG has repeatedly identified its assets as being state money.
We respectfully believe it would be in the best interest of South Carolinians for you to leave this organization. Bipartisan organizations like NAAG are always insidiously left-wing, relying on compliant Republicans to maintain their façade and to exercise their supposed bipartisan authority. We hope you will agree with us on this issue, and that NAAG will not be able to include South Carolina among their ranks any longer.
Furthermore, the South Dakota Freedom Caucus told their attorney general-elect, Marty Jackley — who was once the organization’s president when he initially served the state in the same position from 2009 to 2019 before term limits forced him to step down and before his running again in 2022 — that “our message to [him] … is clear” and he should “refuse to join this left-wing organization and demand that the money sitting at NAAG that belongs in the hands of the South Dakota state government and South Dakota taxpayers be brought home.”
The South Dakota Freedom Caucus added:
It is unacceptable for South Dakota to have money from public enforcement cases feeding into an organization that is run by left-wing career staff in Washington, D.C., and that shares control with elected officials from places like New York and California. Money from resolving claims on behalf of the State should flow to our citizens and our government, not fall under the influence of left-wing officials in left-wing states. As conservatives, we spend a lot of our time protecting our state and our taxpayers from liberal control at the hands of the federal government. The same principles apply here—New York, New Jersey, and D.C. shouldn’t be calling the shots on our money.
To make matters worse, NAAG is sitting on a massive pile of assets that are stashed in foreign stocks and otherwise being treated like an off-the-books piggy bank that is totally unaccountable to the members of our legislature. We have appropriations rules, investment rules, and oversight rules for a reason. NAAG isn’t compliant with any of that, even though NAAG has repeatedly identified its assets as being state money.
None of this should be allowed to continue. Bipartisan organizations like NAAG are always insidiously left-wing, relying on compliant Republicans to maintain their façade and exercise their supposed bipartisan authority. They shouldn’t have you, a South Dakota official, serving in leadership. Indeed, they shouldn’t count our state in their ranks at all. And they certainly shouldn’t have control or influence over our money.
The push from the multiple state Freedom Caucus legislators comes after the attorneys general from Texas, Missouri, and Montana withdrew their own membership earlier this year from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) over its “intolerable” liberal bias.
Andy Roth, the president of the State Freedom Caucus Network, supported the decision by the state caucus to send the letter in a statement to Breitbart News.
“NAAG is a prime example of the soft corruption that exists in state politics, and a chief goal of the State Freedom Caucus Network is to expose and rein in these corrupt ‘bi-partisan’ cartels. Our members are right to urge their State Attorneys General to leave NAAG,” Roth said.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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