A parting shot toward a rival attorneys general organization by an outgoing association director has raised questions about the role of lobbying in criminal and civil investigations—by litigation parties and their law firms alike. It also seems to have laid bare tensions between Democratic and Republican state justice officials.

National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG)  director Chris Toth sent a final message to state attorneys general and their deputy chiefs on the day he left office this week. In that message, Toth singled out rival organization, the Conference of Western Attorneys General/Attorney General Alliance (CWAG/AGA), accusing it of being a vessel for lobbying groups that represent parties being investigated by state justice departments.