I am writing in response to the Nov. 2 letter to the editor, “Suing Trump is a waste of funds.”
The letter writer asks if we understand what amount of money that state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is spending to file lawsuits against the Trump administration, and says, “It’s a lot.”
The fact is, taxpayers are not paying for the lawsuits filed against the administration. These lawsuits are handled by attorneys from the Civil Rights Unit, which is funded solely by recovery money from settlements. This unit doesn’t receive any funding from the state. Besides that, the assistant attorneys general are paid on salary and are not paid any overtime. Most of the work on the lawsuits is done during evenings and weekends, and the attorneys are not paid for that time.
Also, as a reminder, Ferguson twice sued the Obama administration, as did the previous Washington state attorney general, Rob McKenna.
Hope this clears up the letter writer’s misunderstanding.
Claire A. Griffith
Everett
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