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‘Ethical concerns’ raised about ‘independence of state governments,’ congressman says
Congressional Republicans are raising questions about a New York University program that places climate “fellows” inside state attorneys general’s offices.
Congressman Jim Comer, the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter on July 17 to the director of the “State Energy & Environmental Impact Center” asking for more information. The Washington Free Beacon first reported on and obtained the letter.
“Since 2016, State Impact Center fellows use their positions at state attorneys general offices to file activist lawsuits and lobby for more burdensome regulations,” the letter alleged. “Michael Bloomberg established the State Impact Center and NYU pays the salaries of the State Impact Center fellows.”
Rep. Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said the arrangement “raises ethical concerns and questions about the independence of state governments.”
While the program says it is nonpartisan, Comer noted “there are no known examples of State Impact Center fellows working for Republican attorneys general offices.”
The arrangement, through which a partisan donor provides funding to NYU to pay law school fellows’ salaries while those fellows work not at NYU but in the offices of state attorneys general, raises ethical concerns and questions about the independence of state governments.
The letter goes on to describe the threats to democracy and the rule of law.
Comer stated:
The role of an attorney general is vital to America’s legal system. The Bloomberg-NYU program, however, undermines faith in that system. The circumstances surrounding the State Impact Center raise questions as to whether participating state attorneys general are acting on independent judgement to best serve the interests of their states’ citizens. The Bloomberg-NYU program effectively offers states partisan money from a billionaire to carry out official functions of their offices.
The letter gives a July 31 deadline for Executive Director Bethany Noll to turn over documents and communications between the center and attorneys general offices as well as Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The program’s own website says it “supports state attorneys general in their work defending and promoting clean energy, climate and environmental laws and policies.”
“Through our research, reports, and events, we provide state attorneys general with background on critical clean energy and environmental issues,” the website states.
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg; MikeBloomberg.com
