In a statement released on Twitter, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced that he “has no intention of withdrawing” Tennessee from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).
“If you’re looking for bipartisan, effective cooperation on issues that affect Americans across the country, it’s happening at the state level among attorneys general. The National Association of Attorneys General plays a critical role in fostering that cooperation,” he said. “Tennessee has worked with other attorneys general across the country and ‘across the aisle,’ including those who have left the Association. All of those relationships are important to us. We have no intention of withdrawing from the Association and working with other AG Offices.”
AG Herbert H. Slatery III: We have no intention of withdrawing from #NAAG. Full statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YWYncKardK
— TN Attorney General (@TNattygen) May 9, 2022
Slatery, who is appointed by the Tennessee State Supreme Court, is said to not be seeking an additional eight-year term.
The Tennessee attorney general’s declaration comes despite the attorneys general of Texas, Montana, and Missouri announcing in a letter to the president of the NAAG, Iowa Attorney General Thomas Miller (D), that their states were exiting the organization due to its left-wing bias.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in the withdrawal letter, “While we have been a driving force for NAAG’s success – both financially and on key issues – the Association’s leftward shift over the past half-decade has been intolerable.”
“Indeed, this liberal bent has fundamentally undermined NAAG’s role as a ‘nonpartisan national forum’ that ‘provides a community … to collaboratively address’ important issues,” he continued. “We can no longer spend our taxpayers’ money to sustain our membership with NAAG under these circumstances.”
Paxton additionally referenced previous meetings with the NAAG leadership about the concerns that ultimately led to the withdrawal. “We previously met with NAAG’s senior leadership to make them aware of our concerns. Those conversations were friendly, but nothing has been done,” he said in the letter. “And we see no signs that anything will change in the future.”
Democrat attorneys general hold a 7-to-5 majority on the NAAG executive committee and Slatery serves on the finance committee.
The Tennessee Star previously reached out to Attorney General Slatery on the issue, asking, “Is Attorney General Slatery planning on withdrawing from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) like Texas Attorney General Paxton just did, as did the AGs of Missouri and Montana? If not, what would his reasoning be for not withdrawing?”
Until this most recent tweet, Slatery had not publicly commented on the matter.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, and Parler.
Background Photo “Tennessee State Office Building” by Tennessee Attorney General.
