State Officials' Luxury Rome Trip Funded by Regulated Companies, CNN Investigation Reveals

Exclusive Trips for State Officials

• ✈️ State attorneys general from both political parties have been enjoying exclusive trips to luxurious cities, with stays in five-star hotels.
• 💰 These trips are paid for, in part, by the same companies that these officials sometimes investigate.

The Attorney General Alliance (AGA) Conference

• 🇮🇹 A week-long conference in Rome, Italy, arranged by the Attorney General Alliance (AGA), provided business class travel and accommodation at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
• 🤝 Representatives from corporations and law firms, some of which are being sued by state AGs, were present and interacting with the officials.

Corporate Funding and Access

• ✉️ Corporations and lobbyists donate significant funds to the AGA to gain special access to state attorneys general during these foreign trips.
• ⚖️ Companies like Blackrock and General Motors, facing lawsuits from state AGs, had representatives present at the Rome event.

Official Justifications and Ethical Concerns

• 🌍 Some officials, like Maryland's Attorney General Anthony Brown, stated their participation was to address pressing global issues and participate in bipartisan delegations.
• 🧐 An ethics professor noted that such arrangements are challenging to defend, questioning the necessity of international travel for such meetings.
• ✅ The AGA maintains that accredited legal educational sessions were held and that no litigation was discussed, asserting that accepting an invitation does not inherently constitute impropriety.