Last year, we reported how former New York city Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s private foundation donated $5.6 million to develop New York University School of Law’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. Since that time, NYU has hired at least 17 attorneys and placed them in 11 states’ attorney general offices. The Minnesota Attorney General landed not one but two of these full-time Bloomberg staffers.
Last week, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota CEO Annette Meek testified before the Minnesota State Senate State Government Finance and Policy Committee, laying out how egregious it is that Bloomberg funded staffers are working at the Minnesota Attorney General’s office and the tremendous lack of transparency this is exhibiting.
Annette wasn’t the only one concerned.
“There would be front-page stories and weeks of scandal-level coverage if the NRA privately funded an attorney within a Republican AG’s office. AG Ellison is doing this with Bloomberg attorneys and it’s basically crickets,” tweeted Andrew Wagner, Director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota House Republican Caucus.
Communications professional Michael Brodkorb offered similar criticism: “The testimony from Annette Meeks is spot-on. Imagine the public outrage if the NRA privately funded staff to work inside the attorney general’s office.”
Private philanthropy should not be anonymously supporting state government employees — our state government isn’t for sale or rent.
We’ll post Annette’s complete testimony in our next update!
