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“It is an honor to be selected by my fellow Republican
attorneys general to lead RAGA at such a critical time in our
country’s history,” Bondi said on Monday after her appointment
as 2014-15 chairman of the group. "We will continue to stand up
for the rule of law and protect the citizens of our states,” she
added.
Bondi, who turned 49 on Monday after being easily re-elected
Nov. 4 to a second four-year term to the state Cabinet post,
came under scrutiny last month in a New York Times investigation
that examined her ties with lobbyists and a large Washington law
firm that represented some corporations facing enforcement
actions over consumer complaints.
Lobbying firms used the RAGA to cultivate cozy relationships
with state attorneys general, including Bondi, and make large
political campaign contributions, the Times reported.
RAGA raised a record $16 million this year, contributing
$750,000 to Bondi’s campaign, the Tampa Bay Times reported. She
also accepted $25,000 in gifts of meals and travel expenses to
attend RAGA events, the Tampa Bay Times and New York Times
reported.
Another major contributor, the Washington law firm Dickstein
Shapiro, is the subject of a state Commission on Ethics
complaint filed by a Florida resident relating to Bondi’s
travel.
Dickstein Shapiro “specializes in building personal
relationships with state attorneys general to help corporate
clients avoid becoming targets of investigation,” the Times
reported.
Bondi’s aides said Monday she was “unavailable” for comment. But
last Wednesday after a state Cabinet meeting she vigorously
denied any relationship between RAGA contributions funded by
corporate law firms and her decisions in legal matters.
“No lobbyist, no person, no corporation, no individual will ever
compromise what we do in our office,” she said. “I’m proud of
what we’ve done to protect consumers.”
The Ethics Commission complaint filed by a central Florida
retiree did not name Bondi but was directed at Bernard Nash, a
partner of Dickstein Shapiro who oversees the firm’s relations
with state legal officers.
The complaint says that he did not register as a lobbyist before
seeking to influence Bondi’s office.
(Editing by David Adams and Eric Walsh)
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