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In Case You Missed It, the New Hampshire Democratic Party filed a right-to-know request asking for information about New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald’s communications and involvement with the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). The right-to-know request follows reports that RAGA’s dark-money arm, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. You can read the full right to know request here. WMUR: NHDP seeks information on any communications between MacDonald, controversial Republican AGs group By John DiStaso January 12, 2021 CONCORD, N.H. — The state Democratic Party has filed a right-to-know request asking for records of any communications that New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald may have had with a political group promoting Republican attorneys general that’s now embroiled in controversy related to last week’s deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. The request came as MacDonald’s office told WMUR political director Adam Sexton that the attorney general has no active involvement in, and does not “regularly communicate” with, the Republican Attorneys General Association, whose political arm, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, reportedly helped to organize the Jan. 6 march to the U.S. Capitol. The executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association resigned Monday after it was disclosed that the group paid for robocalls that went out the day before the attack encouraging people to “march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal.” MacDonald is listed as a member of the Republican Attorney General’s Association, but the New Hampshire attorney general’s office told WMUR the group primarily focuses on helping Republicans get elected in the 43 states in which voters choose the attorney general. Those states do not include New Hampshire, in which the attorney general is nominated by the governor and confirmed by the majority of the five-member Executive Council. MacDonald last week became Gov. Chris Sununu’s nominee to become chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. A spokesperson for the NHDP said Monday that MacDonald’s “involvement” with the RAGA group “raises serious concerns about his ability to be an effective and unbiased judge.” [...] State Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley sent the right-to-know request to Deputy Attorney General Jane Young, who last week was designated by MacDonald to assume his duties while his nomination to the court is pending. Buckley requests “any communications between Attorney General Gordon MacDonald, his office, or representatives thereof and the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), the Rule of Law Defense Fund, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, or representatives.” Marshall heads the Rule of Law Defense Fund. “As a potential New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice, Granite Staters have every right to know about Gordon MacDonald’s involvement with the Republican Attorneys General Association following reports that the group urged people to converge on the Capitol the day before the building was stormed,” Buckley said. His right-to-know letter to Jane Young is here. (Update:) A spokesperson for the attorney general's office said Tuesday afternoon that officials "are reviewing the request and will respond accordingly." WMUR is seeking comment from the New Hampshire Republican Party. The Executive Council, which has a 4-1 Republican majority, may vote on whether to confirm MacDonald as chief justice at its next meeting on Jan. 22, according to a spokesperson for Sununu. A public hearing will be held on MacDonald’s nomination at some point prior to the vote.
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