Conservative orgs urge investigation into DC AG for steering ‘lucrative contracts’ to Democrat allies

Several conservative groups are asking Congress to investigate the D.C. Attorney General’s office for allegedly handing out “lucrative contracts” to political allies.

Through contingency fee arrangements, where the government contracts with a private law firm to litigate their case and pays when the suit is won or settled, allied firms have collected millions of dollars by suing companies on behalf of the district, the groups write in a Wednesday letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Attorney General Schwalb has established a troubling pattern of awarding lucrative contracts to outside contingency fee counsel who are both political allies and former employees of his office,” the letter to the House Oversight and Judiciary committees states. “This practice raises serious questions about the independence and integrity of the District’s legal system.”

American Tort Reform Association President Sherman Joyce, Foundation for American Innovation Director of Technology Luke Hogg, and Manhattan Institute Director of Legal Policy James Copland signed the letter.

Several contracts have gone to Edelson PC, where former District of Columbia assistant deputy attorney general Jimmy Rock helped launch a D.C. office as managing partner in 2022. Since 2023, the district’s agreements with the firm have included an up to $55 million contract for a consumer protection case against Google, an up to $55 million contract for a case against Meta for over harms to children, an up to $85 million contract for lead water pipe litigation and another contract for legal services still pending approval by the mayor, according to the letter.

Rock assisted with then-D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine‘s 2020 lawsuit against the Trump Presidential Inaugural Committee and donated thousands of dollars to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign in 2024.

Joyce told the DCNF that the federal government does not hire outside counsel on a contingency fee basis like D.C. and states do.

“It becomes a situation where the enforcement badge, with a profit motive, is provided to these law firms,” he said. “They aren’t representing themselves or individual clients. They’re representing, in this case, the district. Other states do this, but we would say that Washington, D.C. does it with no appropriate checks and balances, transparency, or appropriate restrictions on the involvement of these outside counsel.”

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ATRA FAI Manhattan Inst. Letter to House Oversight and Judiciary Committees by Katelynn Richardson

The office hired a fellow from the New York University Law School’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center, which is funded by Michael Bloomberg’s organization, as a Special Assistant Attorney General (SAAG). Fellows in the program are “required to pursue litigation against corporations involving climate change and environmental matters,” the letter states.

“This set-up allows individuals and organizations to commandeer state and local police powers to target opponents with whom they disagree,” the groups argue.

The fellow, Lauren Cullum, penned a letter in 2023 urging Biden’s Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to “address the public health and safety dangers of gas stoves.”

The district retained several firms “on an emergency basis” to work on climate litigation against ExxonMobil in 2019, including the San Francisco-based firm Sher Edling, which has received millions from left-wing organizations like the New Venture Fund.

Sher Edling employees have also donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats running for office, per Federal Election Commission data.

“It is clear that Attorney General Schwalb has prioritized suing large businesses for various societal harms,” the letter continues. “While this may serve his political interests and allies, it does not necessarily serve the interests of District residents. Many constituents have expressed frustration that the AG isn’t doing enough to address crime and improve public safety.”

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