By Lee Hedgepeth
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY – In a letter dated August 27, the Office of Attorney General Luther Strange notified State Representative and Democratic candidate for AG Joe Hubbard that they will not be providing a response to a legal question for which Hubbard had asked for an official AG’s opinion.
Rep. Hubbard, D-Montgomery, had asked for an official AG opinion on the legality of transfers from one political campaign committee to another, a practice that has come to light within the ALGOP in the last few day with the disbursement of funds left from the campaign coffers of now retired Congressman Jo Bonner.
Over the last year, Bonner’s principal campaign committee, of no use to him any longer, is dispensing its funds to state GOP candidates.
Hubbard’s legal understanding, however, was that such transfers violate the PAC-to-PAC transfer ban signed into law by former Governor Bob Riley, so he requested a formal opinion.
Instead of a formal opinion, Hubbard received a letter from the AG’s office claiming they had no legitimate duty to issue an opinion based on his request.
“Legislators are not among the public officials entitled to receive opinions… As a courtesy to legislators, this Office has given opinions to legislators if there is some nexus between the question posed and a perceived legislative duty,” the letter reads.
“Your present question does not appear to be one under which we can give a formal opinion. I regret that I will be unable to provide you with an opinion on this matter,” it concluded.
Notably, Representative Hubbard brought to the forefront an earlier contribution to Attorney General Strange that appeared to be funneled through a charitable nonprofit, a charge Strange denied, though the money was returned out of an “abundance of caution” by the Strange campaign.
Strange will face Hubbard in the November elections.
