A conservative watchdog group tracking high-ranking officials it believes are at odds with the incoming Republican Trump administration wants two Maryland agencies and the IRS to investigate state Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, for alleged campaign finance and state ethics violations.
The American Accountability Foundation filed complaints against the attorney general’s office over a series of requests that they say were made last year by an employee of the Attorney General’s Office on Brown’s behalf.
The group alleges the employee asked for a list of contact information of partners, including law firms and companies, of the nonprofit Attorney General Alliance (AGA), which the foundation claims was to be improperly used for a Brown campaign fundraiser invitation.
A fundraiser for Brown was scheduled to be held Jan. 6 at the Harold Black restaurant in Annapolis, with ticket prices for the “presession2025″ event ranging from $500 to $2,500. The event was later canceled because of a winter snowstorm.
“We believe that the office of the Attorney General, and the Attorney General himself, worked closely with the non-profit AGA to utilize AGA resources to fundraise for the Attorney General’s campaign,” American Accountability Foundation President Thomas Jones wrote in a Jan. 7 letter that AAF provided to The Baltimore Sun. Jones sent the letter to the Maryland State Election Board, the State Ethics Commission and the IRS after his organization obtained text messages they say are from a Brown staffer and other documents through a Public Information Act request.
“We urge you to immediately open an investigation of the relationship between AGA and the Attorney General’s office to send a clear message to non-profits and lawmakers that they cannot abuse the laws of the United States and Maryland for their political benefit,” Jones wrote.
Brown’s office denied wrongdoing.
“The Office of the Attorney General conducts all activities in strict compliance with Maryland State ethics laws, as well as all other state and federal laws,” OAG spokesperson Jennifer Donelan said in an email to The Sun.
In an email to the AGA that was returned as part of the foundation’s information request and provided to The Sun, OAG Chief Counsel Patrick Hughes also stated that Brown’s staffer “did not ask for and did not receive the relevant list from AGA in his official capacity as an employee of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. Rather the list was requested for non-OAG and non-public-business purposes.”
A spokesperson for Friends of Anthony Brown, which campaigns for Brown, also said their actions comply with state campaign finance laws.
“The Friends of Anthony Brown campaign, which supports Attorney General Brown’s election efforts, is and always has been in full compliance with Maryland election law regarding expenditures, contributions, loans, and reporting, and relies on its required periodic reporting to the Maryland State Board of Elections, with the next annual report due on January 15, 2025, to fulfill its obligations to the public for transparency and accountability in campaign finance activities,” the group said in an email to The Sun.
The group had not filed its Jan. 15 annual report as of The Sun’s print publication time.
The State Ethics Commission prohibits state and local government officials and employees from using their position or office for personal gain. This includes using public resources or titles to solicit a political contribution.
State campaign finance laws may also require items of value, such as a mailing list, to be reported on campaign finance reports as expenditures based on their fair market value, according to Jared DeMarinis, state administrator of elections.
IRS laws also prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations like the Attorney General’s Alliance from giving in-kind contributions to political candidates, such as gifts, merchandise or services without an attached monetary value, which can be reported on a campaign finance report. Such charitable organizations are also prohibited from participating in political campaign activities as a substantial part of their activities or from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
The foundation’s focus on Brown is part of a larger AAF project partially funded by the conservative Heritage Foundation to identify public officials, bureaucratic leaders at the federal level and other personnel who might put their personal agendas before their duty to carry out the directives of the President of the United States, according to AAF spokesperson Yitz Friedman.
AAF is listed as a board member for Project 2025, a presidential transition think tank with over 100 members focused on policy initiatives supported by President-elect Donald Trump.
AAF provided The Sun with text messages and WhatsApp communications that the foundation said were obtained from Brown’s office through a Public Information Act request. The Sun verified the messages’ authenticity with the Attorney General’s office.
A message from 9:36 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, read:
“Hey Karen!” referring to Karen White, executive director of AGA, according to AAF. “Do you have an AGA partners list that includes law firms and companies? The AG is asking.”
A second message sent at noon on Thursday, Oct. 17 read:
“Also, you guys shared the full AGA partner list with me but I was hoping you guys had a list that also included contact information that you could share?”
A third message AAF believes was sent to Alejandra Stephens, an AGA employee, at 3:12 p.m., Monday, Oct. 28 read:
“Hi Ale! Great to see you last week in SC. And thank you again for sending the partner list with emails. One more question on that. Is it possible to share phone numbers as well? The AG is asking so that he can call folks directly to invite them to a January event. Let me know, thanks!”
Chris Toth, former executive director of the National Attorneys General Association, said attorneys general need to be held to a “higher standard.”
“Much of all of this could be completely avoided if the state attorneys general just set some rigid ethical guidelines as to who they will take money from, and who they will speak to outside the public” sphere, Toth said. “”The Attorney General Alliance is technically a not-for-profit, but it exists to bring AGs in a place where they can speak with lobbyists who represent companies that are often being investigated by the AGs and also donors.”
Neither Brown’s office, Friends of Anthony Brown nor the AGA responded to questions about how the list was used, whether a monetary amount was associated with its transfer and if phone numbers were provided by AGA.
“AGA routinely provides information about our partners to attorneys general in an effort to foster collaboration and build professional relationships,” Tania Maestas, AGA deputy executive director and general counsel, said in a statement. “AGA does not engage in any political activity.”
Have a news tip? Contact Glynis Kazanjian at gkazanjian@baltsun.com.