Lucas: No light in this Paris junket

Everyone should see Paris Especially if someone else is paying for the trip like the Massachusetts taxpayer It is what the taxpayer did for Attorney General Andrea Campbell the state s chief law enforcement officer to attend a July attorneys general conference in Paris along with two unidentified aides Why half of the country s attorney generals met in Paris rather than any city within the United States remained unexplained although it has all the earmarks of a junket Campbell gave no announcement of the trip Nor was there any agenda listed or notice of meetings held a summation of accomplishments or who she met with Nor were there any opening or closing statements about the conference Personnel running the conference even refused to release the date of the gathering although it was later ascertained to be held from July to August The conference was cosponsored by the National Association of Attorneys General an established organization and the Attorney General Alliance a nonprofit organization whose funding comes from corporate donors a few of which the attorneys general are charged with regulating and probing A couple of the biggest donors to the Attorney General Alliance for instance are Amazon and Pfizer the pharmaceutical giant Both contributed each to AGA in according to the Associated Press That contribution enables its lobbyists as well as lobbyists from other big companies kicking in to attend the conference and mingle with the attorneys general Christopher Toth a former NAAG executive director stated AP Lobbyists essentially fund these trips They funnel the money through AGA and then that insulates the AGs from being criticized that they re taking money from lobbyists Cost to taxpayers for Campbell s visit which included side trips to Brussels and Normandy came to according to records obtained by the Herald of which went for transportation through France provided by Avis Chauffeur a high quality chauffeur organization However there was no apparent invoice for hotels meals or other expenses that would normally show up on a credit card These are expenses that may or may not have been picked up by lobbyist donations to AGA The revelation of Campbell s trip came in a Herald analysis of Campbell s taxpayer-funded attorney general credit card expenses for the last fiscal year They came to specific The cards are so-called P-cards or procurement cards issued to various state employees the abuse of which has gotten specific state officers in trouble over the years This is not to say that there is any credit card abuse going on or that Campbell benefited from lobbyist largesse on the trip to France But it is to say that Campbell a former Boston city councilor and unsuccessful mayoral candidate campaigned for attorney general talking about transparency and accountability Right now the taxpayer could use specific especially as Campbell who has rapidly become part of the Democrat Party establishment on Beacon Hill will be seeking reelection to a second four-year term An example of her partnering with the State House Democrat establishment has been her ability to stymie state Auditor Diana DiZoglio s attempt to audit the Democrat-run Massachusetts Legislature even though the general approved of the proposal by of the vote While it may not be related Yeah right the Legislature gave her a whopping million budget increase to fund her anti-Trump unit that will continue to file lawsuits against President Donald Trump And why not Suing Trump got her predecessor Attorney General Maura Healey elected governor Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at peter lucas bostonherald com