Gov. Paul LePage is challenging Attorney General Janet Mills’ use of funds that resulted from legal settlements the state of Maine received from lawsuits against Volkswagen and the financial ratings company Moody’s.
In a written statement, LePage says he has ordered the settlement funds, which total more than $10 million, transferred from an account in the attorney general’s office to another account that will require legislative approval before it can be spent. He says it’s wrong for Mills to have sole control over the money.
Mills says LePage is wrong, and that his actions violate the court order in the settlement of the lawsuits, state law and the state constitution. She says the account in question was set up by the Legislature nearly 30 years ago, giving her discretion over spending from that account.
This is not the first time the two have clashed, although this one may well end up in court.
