Tom Albritton

News / Elections / State

Trump-bashing attorney represents AG Marshall’s mega donor in lawsuit

As if the attorney general’s race couldn’t become more bizarre, enter Washington, D.C. election lawyer Charlie Spies, who is defending appointed Attorney General Steve Marshall’s PAC contributions from the Republican Attorney Generals Association (RAGA). Spies is best known for his epic troll of then-candidate Donald Trump when he represented failed GOP presidential candidate and Never-Trumper … Continued

Bill Britt

July 12, 2018

King asks court to stop Marshall from using “illegal” campaign funds

Troy King on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court seeking a restraining order to prevent the Steve Marshall campaign from using campaign donations it received from the Republican Attorneys General Association. King has previously filed an ethics complaint over the donations, claiming that they violate Alabama’s ban on political action committees (PACs) … Continued

Josh Moon

July 11, 2018

King files ethics complaint against AG Marshall

Troy King has filed an ethics complaint against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, alleging the Marshall campaign has accepted illegal campaign donations. The complaint, filed on Monday by King, who is challenging Marshall in a runoff for the AG’s office, alleges that Marshall accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the Republican … Continued

Josh Moon

July 10, 2018

Ethics Commission clears Luther Strange

Luther Strange is off the hook. The executive director of the Alabama Ethics Commission told APR on Wednesday that the commission determined a few sessions ago that allegations that Strange violated campaign finance laws were unfounded. The two allegations, which were filed by Secretary of State John Merrill’s office during Strange’s special election campaign for … Continued

Josh Moon

June 21, 2018

Opinion

Ethics Review Committee is a long con

After last week’s initial meeting of the Ethics Review Committee, it’s now apparent that the body, as far as its leaders are concerned, is not assembled to strengthen and clarify the state’s ethics laws but weaken it through a wholesale rewrite. In other words, the Ethics Review Committee is a prop in a confidence scheme. … Continued

Bill Britt

May 24, 2018

Exempt from Open Meetings Act, high stakes ethics committee begins work

A meeting that will potentially impact Alabama for generations is being held at 1 p.m. today, at the office of the attorney general. But the public would know about this important conference if they had only searched the legislative resource site dubbed, ALISON. However, one would have to know to click on the ‘Meetings & Announcements’ … Continued

Bill Britt

May 17, 2018

Attorney paid by unnamed client to write, negotiate HB317

Is it appropriate for a lawyer working for an unidentified private client to write laws for a department of state government? Doesn’t the public have a right to know if a private individual pays for a bill to be written? How is it ethical for a piece of legislation to be sponsored by a member … Continued

Bill Britt

April 17, 2018

Opinion

Will Gov. Ivey unmuzzle Hart and Albritton?

Despite the Ivey Administration’s push to pass questionable ethics-busting bill HB317 or her public praise for its passage, the governor is now being counseled not to sign the legislation into law before hearing from those individuals muzzled during legislative debate. There is little doubt that Gov. Kay Ivey’s commerce secretary and the state’s attorney general, … Continued

Bill Britt

April 3, 2018

Debate over ethics is being watched nationally in the economic development community

On Wednesday, proponents of House Bill 317 argued before the Senate about passing the legislation that would exempt economic developers from Alabama’s landmark 2010 ethics bill. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said that the bill is necessary so that economic developers can do their jobs and continue to bring jobs and investment to Alabama. That … Continued

Brandon Moseley

March 20, 2018

Opinion

AG, commerce secretary hide real problem with economic development bill

During a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the controversial economic development bill, HB317, not a soul present addressed the critical problem with the bill — the gaping loophole created by allowing individuals to work as part-time economic development professionals. Of course, the bill doesn’t use the words part-time. Instead, it calls this individual a “less … Continued

Bill Britt

March 16, 2018