Caledonian Record (VT) Editorial

According to a report yesterday from VTDigger, “A national conservative group has taken the Vermont Attorney General’s office to court over allegations that state officials have blocked release of public records for political reasons.”

The genesis of the dispute dates back to a time when Vermont and New York were sharing information in preparation of a multi-state action against Exxon-Mobil. No lawsuit was ever filed…

Griffin argues, the attorney general doesn’t have to share public information with people it doesn’t like. Specifically he said:

“We get a request from [Energy and Environment Legal Institute] and so one thing we might consider is where are they — who are these people?” Griffin said in a transcript of the hearing. “Where are they going with this? And we Google them and we find, you know, coal or Exxon or whatever — and so we’re thinking this is — we better — we better give this some thought before we — before we share information with this entity.”…

So a primer for Griffin. The Attorney General is not above the law and enjoys no statutory privilege to ignore it for political inexpedience.

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