Meeting of Republican State Attorneys General Provides NRA and Corporations with Private Access

The Republican Attorneys General Association (“RAGA”) will host its annual two-day Winter National Meeting beginning February 25, 2018, details of which were obtained by Documented. At the event, taking place at the Park Hyatt hotel in Washington, D.C., donors including the National Rifle Association (NRA) will have access to GOP attorneys general and their staff for two days of issue briefings, private talks and social events.

RAGA is a 527 political organization, meaning that it can accept unlimited donations from individuals and corporations. In return for these contributions, RAGA provides donors access to attorneys general, with the level of access depending on the size of the donation.

According to a 2018 membership document, RAGA's Edmund Randolph Club (ERC) membership ($125,000 per year), along with its Attorneys General Capital Club membership ($50,000 per year), allow corporate donors to lead private issue briefings with Republican attorneys general. The higher paying ERC donors receive the additional benefit of attending exclusive dinners and other events with attorneys general.

Benefits for the highest paying 2018 Victory Fund donors ($250,000+) are not listed and only available "on request". The National Rifle Association (NRA), which provided RAGA with $775,000 in 2017 and has sponsored RAGA meetings in the past, is amongst these top donors. The NRA's financial backing of RAGA increased significantly in 2017, far exceeding the $110,675 that it had given in 2016, and $103,860 in 2015. The NRA frequently touts support from Republican attorneys general for its agenda.

National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action. Friday, December 1, 2017.

RAGA has promoted NRA backed candidates in elections as it spends millions of dollars every election cycle, and has utilized NRA materials that grade candidates based on their opposition to restrictions on gun ownership.

.@JohnAdamsforVA will protect Virginians' 2nd Amendment rights as AG. @NRA gives @MarkHerringVA an "F" rating https://t.co/UANT2gqdGW pic.twitter.com/Mq8k4kKEb4

— RAGA (@RepublicanAGs) September 11, 2017

RAGA members were at the White House this week, speaking with the President about guns in schools.

Indiana @AGCurtisHill and Florida @AGPamBondi at the White House today. @POTUS @realDonaldTrump met with state and local officials to discuss school safety. https://t.co/VnKBxlVUHI

— RAGA (@RepublicanAGs) February 22, 2018

I'm with @POTUS, @AGPamBondi, US AG Jeff Sessions and others this morning at the @WhiteHouse to discuss school safety and how #IN's Red Flag Law works to protect Hoosiers. I'm glad to have the opportunity to share our successes with other elected officials. -CH pic.twitter.com/tBbz85jrMB

— Curtis T. Hill, Jr. (@AGCurtisHill) February 22, 2018

Others RAGA contributors in 2017 included Koch Industries ($205,000), ExxonMobil ($50,375), U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform ($590,000), Southern Company ($90,250), Caesars Entertainment ($75,975), Peabody Energy ($50,000), and Karen Wright ($100,000) who is President and CEO of Ariel Corporation and a board member of the American Petroleum Institute.

According to an agenda obtained by Documented through a public records request, the first day of the meeting includes six secretive “issue briefings,” a new member private reception, a welcome reception and an exclusive dinner for the “ERC and DC Host Committee."

The agenda on the second day includes two issue panels, as well as an event called “DC Dine Around Dinners” which takes place at “member offices and restaurants throughout Washington, D.C.”

The issue panels on the second day will be:

Issue Panel I: Stay, Delay, and Withdrawal - How Republican AGs are instrumental to reducing the regulatory burden.

Issue Panel II: Better Protecting Consumers while Enabling Prosperity: A conversation on corporate citizenry, compliance, and predictability.