The world of politics is full of hypocrites, and we certainly have our share in West Virginia. They're particularly bothersome when we see them wasting our money.
You may recall how former state Attorney General Darrell McGraw made a habit of using public funds and the perks of his office to promote himself. In 2011, for instance, he narrated public service announcements on underage drinking that were broadcast on radio stations statewide.
Mike Stuart, then chairman of the state Republican Party, called him out on it, chastising McGraw for “shamefully wasting taxpayer dollars in what is a thinly veiled effort to build his name ID in advance of next year’s election.” Stuart demanded that McGraw “pull the radio ads immediately [and] reimburse the taxpayers and the state treasury for his shameless and embarrassing self-promotion.”
That was then. Now, less than a decade later, U.S. Attorney Stuart seems to be engaging in the very same behavior he once criticized.
“An unelected federal bureaucrat spent taxpayer money to oppose a state-level policy position,” charges Jason Huffman of Americans For Prosperity-West Virginia, referring to Stuart’s $90K PSA campaign opposing criminal justice reform efforts here. “As taxpayers, we want to understand why that decision was made.”
Maybe Stuart can enlighten us. We want to understand, too.
It might be easier to accept "I can't comment because of pending litigation" – the standard for deflecting accusations – but for the actual comments made by Stuart: It's a "frivolous lawsuit" and it's "a personal attack against a very successful U.S. attorney."
But, if as Stuart says he is the most transparent U.S. attorney in the nation, then why dodge requests for all of the records sought by Americans For Prosperity-West Virginia? The result has been litigation that will cost taxpayers to defend, and Freedom of Information Act lawsuits rarely end well for the public body that seeks to avoid disclosure.
So, before the lawsuit drags on any longer, do West Virginians a favor and release what has been requested. We'd be uber grateful.