CNN
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The guest list for the exclusive junket to South Africa in 2023 included lobbyists and lawyers for leading US companies such as Uber, Amazon and Pfizer.
The trip featured a safari, a stay at a five-star hotel that promises guests “a sophisticated world of luxury,” as well as wine tours and gourmet dinners at restaurants that serve fresh prawns and Wagyu ribeye steak.
But well-heeled corporate players weren’t the only guests who accepted invitations to the costly excursion: So, too, did a bipartisan group of about a dozen attorneys general from across the country whose offices play a pivotal role in protecting consumers by enforcing the law against powerful interests.
And while the major companies gave hefty donations to the group that organized the trip, the attorneys general joined for free.
The list of invitees was not meant to be widely shared, according to a text message sent from a staff member of the event organizer to an aide of one of the attorneys general.
“So just keep internal,” the staffer wrote of the list, which included attorneys general for Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Minnesota and other states.
The trip to South Africa, arranged and funded by the nonprofit Attorney General Alliance, is just one example of how corporate lawyers and lobbyists have paid to enjoy special access to state attorneys general through privately organized trips to US resorts and foreign destinations, according to records obtained by CNN related to events hosted by AGA. The group organizes multiple events each year, including an Italy trip scheduled next month.
AGA said in statements that its foreign delegations have helped officials forge bipartisan and public-private relationships and facilitated talks on global issues such as human, drug and animal trafficking, money laundering and other types of organized crime. The group also said that activities like the wildlife and winery tours involved education about agriculture and environmental threats.
But by attending these private events with corporate representatives, critics say, attorneys general can erode public trust in their actions related to the sponsoring companies.
“It’s a whole game of getting the public officials together with the corporate people who in effect lobby to get what they want,” said Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush turned law professor at the University of Minnesota. “Public trust is destroyed by this kind of thing.”
AGA and its supporters reject such arguments.
“I don’t see it as pay for play. I see it as an opportunity for a bipartisan conversation to make America better,” said Jon Bruning, a former Nebraska attorney general who attended the South Africa trip on behalf of his private law group.
AGA, which pulled in nearly $27 million in sponsorships between 2019 and 2023, largely relies on donations from companies to fund its trips, according to financial documents from the group. Attorneys general also pay thousands of dollars per year in membership dues using taxpayer funds.
The group has previously granted varying levels of perks to companies based on how much they have contributed, records show. An AGA document from 2023, for example, promised sponsors who contributed $100,000 access to “invite-only events” and speaking slots at conferences not available to donors who gave $30,000. The document listed dozens of donors from industries including health care, technology, energy and finance.
Corporate interests pay for luxury trips. State attorneys general join for free
Some of AGA’s sponsors have publicly acknowledged the benefit of attending the gatherings. The law firm Troutman Pepper Locke, listed as a participant in the South Africa trip and other AGA gatherings, notes on its website that the events are a “valuable forum for communicating directly with attorneys general about specific client concerns,” among other matters. The law firm, as well as other AGA corporate sponsors, have also attended events hosted by the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA).
Some attorneys general who attended in South Africa say such trips are vital to learning about issues that affect their states.
“I understand how this game is played… ‘Oh you went on a trip,’” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, referring to what he described as the practice of reporters trying to “embarrass” politicians. “I understand that thing, but I will say that there is real work that we are doing that is important for our constituents and has a lot to do with the fact that we live in a globalized world.”
AGA formed in 2019 out of a decades-old organization that had promoted collaboration among attorneys general in western states, and has since organized meetings in US cities and foreign countries including Mexico, Israel, Morocco and France.
Documents show the group has long given benefits to companies that help fund the junkets. Based on the sponsorship tier, AGA has previously permitted companies to provide suggestions for speakers, panelists, working groups, white papers and events, records show.
For attorneys general attending the trips, AGA has offered to cover expenses.
The group sent an email on July 15, 2022, for example, outlining an upcoming trip to Spain that included meetings with government officials along with “AGA private sector partners” and noted that “all” expenses for attorneys general would be covered. The email suggested the trip would also include tours of the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Prado art museum and ancient Roman ruins in Barcelona.
“Count me in!” responded Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, records show.
In a statement, Raoul said AGA has provided invaluable training opportunities and added that collaborations facilitated by the group lead to “more effective enforcement efforts and better public policy that improves our residents’ quality of life.”
An AGA email the following year promoted the South Africa trip as an educational experience that would feature discussion of topics like cybersecurity and environmental law. Text messages from AGA staffers also show them planning outings around the itinerary of expert speakers, including an hours-long wildlife excursion.
“Immediately after you get off the bus, we will take you to lunch, there is alcohol, etc,” one AGA staffer messaged an attorney general during the late 2023 trip.
Later, an AGA staffer shared photos and videos of the highlights: A lion prowling, a giraffe wandering the veldt, and antelopes and zebras in the wild.
In a separate text exchange from 2023, a staff member for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr asked an AGA staffer whether the group covered hotel incidentals.
“Like a spa treatment or like food/snacks?” the AGA staffer wrote back. The attorney general employee clarified he was only asking about food reimbursements. The AGA staffer responded, “Just hold receipts or put on room.”
A spokesperson for Carr, a Republican, said such association events “are essential to staying ahead of emerging threats and advancing public safety.”
The invitees to South Africa included attorneys for major companies, including Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer and the brother-in-law of former Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as Michael Beckerman, a public policy chief for TikTok, and Tom Moriarty, general counsel for grocery chain Albertsons, among others.
Uber, TikTok and Albertsons did not comment for this story.
Some of AGA’s sponsors who received invitations to South Africa and other events have faced multi-state investigations from attorneys general.
Amazon has ranked among AGA’s biggest sponsors, disclosing annual payments dating back to about 2018. At one point in 2021, AGA’s internal documents listed Amazon in its “Major Gifts Circle” tier, which required a $500,000 sponsorship.
States have taken legal action against the company. In September 2023, for example, the Federal Trade Commission along with 17 states filed a lawsuit that alleged Amazon uses “anticompetitive” strategies to maintain “monopoly power.” Amazon has rejected those allegations and argued in court filings that its “pro-competitive practices” benefit consumers. A trial date has been set for October 2026.
Two months after the suit was filed, a senior member of Amazon’s public policy team was listed as an attendee of AGA’s delegation to South Africa. Texts suggest multiple attorneys general involved in the lawsuit also accepted invitations for the delegation. The following summer, Amazon sent some representatives to AGA’s annual meeting in Colorado Springs, records show. Amazon did not comment for this story.
Pfizer has also been listed among AGA’s largest sponsors. Reports filed by Pfizer’s PAC list about $3 million in contributions to AGA between roughly 2013 to 2022. AGA documents have listed Pfizer as a “Legacy Patron” and part of its “Major Gifts Circle.”
Various states have reached settlements with Pfizer over the last decade in lawsuits related to drug prices.
AGA’s attendance lists and itineraries show Pfizer representatives at multiple events in recent years, including in South Africa. Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment.
The documents related to AGA events were shared with CNN by the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative organization that obtained them through public records requests. AAF argues that the conferences allow corporations undue power to push liberal policies behind closed doors. CNN independently confirmed details in the records.
The documents do not show whether any company representatives discussed active litigation or reached agreements with state officials on any of the trips. Attorneys general contacted by CNN largely declined to answer questions about specific matters discussed with business representatives at the meetings.
Tania Maestas, the deputy director of AGA, said her group has nothing to do with litigation involving attorneys general and does not act at the direction of private companies.
“It’s a little surprising that people find it odd that AGs meet with their constituents. This is something that is encouraged and that they should do. What we do is provide a forum to be able to do that,” Maestas said. “By being in the same room or the same location, that’s not influence. That is not an ability to change the way an AG is going to do something. … AGs are better than that.”
Maestas also said AGA hosts extensive trainings in the US that offer legal education credits for attorneys, and added that many event speakers come from groups that have not donated to her organization. Asked about the wine tours and safari on the South Africa trip, Maestas said attendees interacted with agricultural communities “to better understand the cultural and economic significance of farming,” visited a game reserve and joined a discussion on “combating the illicit trade of endangered species.”
At times, attorneys general have been criticized for not disclosing their travels to AGA events.
A January report released by an auditor in Utah found the state’s former Republican attorney general, Sean Reyes, had not been “reasonably transparent” and highlighted how he did not disclose AGA trips to England, Ohio, Ghana and Spain as well as a trip to DC through another group, the National Association of Attorneys General. In posts on X, Reyes said auditors had access to millions of documents including his calendars and “affirmed that there was no misuse of taxpayer funds.”
When AGA organized an international delegation to Normandy, France, last summer, emails show they offered each attorney general a $15,000 flight allowance and covered the cost of travel, meals and lodging, which involved another five-star hotel that touts having “crystal chandeliers, soaring views and flawless service” as well as a regular guestlist of “Hollywood stars and polo players.”
The trip was described as a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, though records show it was scheduled nearly two months after the June 6 anniversary of the Allied invasion. The Associated Press previously reported the trip.
Dave Yost, the Republican attorney general of Ohio, attended the trip with his wife, booking business class seats and airport lounge access for over $12,000. Democratic Attorney General of Maryland Anthony Brown and his wife charged a similar amount on their flights to France, according to receipts for their tickets. A spokesperson for Brown said he was honored to co-lead the delegation to commemorate a pivotal moment in history.
AGA documents described the trip as a chance to foster diplomatic ties and learn about human trafficking, antisemitism and other matters. An itinerary shows the multi-day trip included a few hours of business meetings in the mornings, followed by invitations to museums and other historic sites.
Supporters of these trips like Brian Kane, executive director of the National Association of Attorneys General, which co-sponsored the France trip, argue building relationships with stakeholders helps attorneys general more effectively do their jobs.
“There’s absolutely a time and place for those more formal meetings, but one of the things that I’ve learned in my experience is that for those more formal meetings to be more effective, you have to have informal meetings,” Kane said. “Being able to sit down with somebody and understand them as a fellow human being is critically important to being able to understand them within the business setting.”
In all, about two dozen state attorneys general attended the France delegation, which overlapped with the 2024 Olympic Games in the country, documents show.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat listed as part of the AGA delegation, posted photos of himself and his family in Paris that same week visiting the house for Team USA Olympians. Ford’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Maestas of AGA told CNN her group did not spend money on the Olympics on that trip, which she said included a visit to a memorial honoring fallen World War II soldiers. “The delegation to the beaches of Normandy reaffirmed that attorneys general have a shared commitment to justice, peace, and the values that unite us,” she said.
After the trip, records show Maestas thanked the attorneys general for attending what she called an “educational adventure” and invited them to join a future event at a resort on the Caribbean coast of Mexico as well as another trip to Rome, Italy scheduled next month.
“Join us for an unforgettable experience,” she wrote.
