Privately funded “special assistant attorneys general” (SAAGs) are presently working in at least six jurisdictions, under agreements that they focus on matters of importance to the billionaire donor paying their salary and benefits and regularly report back on their activities.
The donor is Michael Bloomberg, and his interest is “climate change.” This unprecedented arrangement raises questions not just of state law, but constitutional concerns that no legislature could waive, regardless of the benefactor or his wealth. I detail this scheme in a new report for the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), “Law Enforcement for Rent: How Special Interests Fund Climate Policy through State Attorneys General.”