... SAYS FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL PAMELA BONDI.
You have got to wonder what is the situation with State Insurance Commissioners and other State officials after reading the news about State Attorneys General that has been reported this morning.
This morning's New York Times reports on many of the ways in which State Attorneys General are courted by lawyers representing parties to lawsuits in which the State Attorneys Generals' clients -- their States -- are also parties, among other things. The courting and lobbying are described in a huge article by Eric Lipton, "Lobbyists, Bearing Gifts, Pursue Attorneys General" p. A1, col. 5 (New York Times Nat'l ed., Wednesday, October 29, 2014).
I especially did not know many of the facts uncovered by the New York Times about Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi. I did know that she was once an Assistant State Attorney in, I believe Pinellas County (St. Petersburg), and that right before her first race for A.G., she was a television personality for Fox.
However, if some of the facts reported by The Times' investigation have previously been reported by newspapers in Florida, I have missed them. For example, The Times reports based on State disclosure records about the amounts of money the Florida A.G. either received in gifts or charged Florida taxpayers to fund her travel to various gatherings where lawyers and lobbyists eagerly sought her attention.
(Curiously, Ms. Bondi apparently charged Florida taxpayers to attend, among other resort meetings, a meeting of something called "the Conference of Western Attorneys General" at a resort in Hawaii. Florida is not in the West and Florida does not have a Western Attorney General. So why did the Florida Attorney General charge Florida taxpayers for her Hawaii expenses?)
Perhaps the business of the people of Florida simply cannot be done in an office or even in Tallahassee. The meetings for which the Florida Attorney General disclosed gifts and charges to the Florida taxpayers were apparently all at resorts, each and every one:
Ms. Bondi, the Florida attorney general, for example, received nearly $25,000 worth of airfare, hotels and meals in the past two years just from events sponsored by the Republican Attorneys General Association, state disclosure reports show. That money came indirectly from corporate donors.
She has charged Florida taxpayers nearly $14,000 since 2011 to take additional trips to meetings of the National Association of Attorneys General and the Conference of Western Attorneys General, including travel to Hawaii. Those events were also attended by dozens of lobbyists. Ms. Bondi, in a statement, said the support she had received — directly or through the Republican Attorneys General Association — had not had an impact on any of her actions as attorney general.
Lipton, "Lobbyists Bearing Gifts, Pursue Attorneys General," New York Times, supra.
The Times report largely bases its findings on personal observations noted by the reporter and on document disclosures including under the Freedom of Information Act. For example, EMails reportedly reveal that more than once Ms. Bondi's office has declined to investigate corporations involved in the lobbying activities described in this report, announcing that the Florida Attorney General's Office has received few complaints about the corporations' activities. In at least one case, "several Florida counties have continued to pursue the matter, taking it to the State Supreme Court." Lipton, "Lobbyists Bearing Gifts, Pursue Attorneys General," New York Times, supra. [Emphasis added.]
Further, the large law firm of lobbyists which represents many of the corporations in question have in the words of the report, also taken "unusual steps to promote Ms. Bondi's political career." The law firm reportedly arranged for Ms. Bondi to be the subject of a feature article in a trade publication for corporate lawyers, and to speak in Washington, D.C., and to hold a fund-raising event at their expense at a resort in Palm Beach, Florida "owned by Donald J. Trump, which is considered one of the most opulent mansions in the United States." Lipton, "Lobbyists Bearing Gifts, Pursue Attorneys General," New York Times, supra.
Any relationship between these facts and the people's business is imaginary, the Florida Attorney General's Office says:
Ms. Bondi, in a statement, said none of these efforts had affected her decisions.
“My office aggressively protects Floridians from unfair and deceptive business practices, and absolutely no access to me or my staff is going to have any bearing on my efforts to protect Floridians,” she said.
Lipton, "Lobbyists Bearing Gifts, Pursue Attorneys General," New York Times, supra.
Skip the newsletter talk, Ms. Bondi. Keep answering those Freedom of Information Act requests. Just do your job.
The Florida experience with its Attorney General makes you wonder about how the State Insurance Commissioner and other State officials are treated by corporations and their representatives who seek their favor, too. There is very little record that I am aware of, reflecting those activities if any.
Without much of a record, what can you do except wonder?
I am going to EMail a link to this post to the major newspapers in Florida. I intend to ask them if they have ever reported on these matters and if they intend to report on them now. I will publish the newspapers' EMail addresses In a future postscript here, in the event that you want to contact the newspapers yourself. Before then, if you want to EMail the Florida Attorney General's Office, I have provided a link to it at the top of this article.
Postscript of a little later this same morning:
I have sent the Emails: To Mr. Scott Maxwell, a well-respected reporter at the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, [email protected], and to "letters to the editor" at the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, [email protected], and at the Tampa Bay Times newspaper, [email protected].
I have also contacted The Florida Bar News, [email protected]
When I visited the website of the Florida (Jacksonville) Times-Union, I received a message that their site is down this morning.
Lastly, I visited the website of The Miami Herald but without much success I am afraid. I could not get through all the advertising there to find anything like a "letter to the editor" link. I did note that The Herald is apparently linking to or saying something about the New York Times report on The Herald's blog.
You can contact any of these newspapers yourself, either at the links I have given you or at their own websites. Again, if you want to contact Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi about these matters, I have put in a link at the top of this article for your ease of use.
Please Read The Disclaimer. Copyright 2014 by Dennis J. Wall. All rights reserved. No claim to Original New York Times Works.