FACT CHECK: Wardlow Would Politicize the Attorney General’s Office

Despite his claims of being “apolitical”, Warldow has a clear agenda, starting with his unprecedented promise of a ‘partisan purge’ of attorneys based on their political ideology

Congressman Ellison is focused on the job of Attorney General — working with everyone, no matter their party affiliation, to serve and protect all Minnesotans

Minnesota – During tonight’s Attorney General debate between Congressman Keith Ellison and Doug Wardlow on KSTP, Republican Doug Wardlow repeated his ongoing lie that he would ‘take the politics out of the office’ and not be political as Attorney General. But just the other week, an audio recording of Wardlow was revealed in which he promised to conduct a ‘partisan purge,’ saying he would fire 42 Democratic attorneys from the office if elected.

Wardlow’s disturbing promise of a partisan purge directly contradicts his main campaign promise of being an ‘apolitical’ Attorney General, and falls far outside the mainstream of conduct in this important constitutional office.

As reported in the Star Tribune, current Attorney General Lori Swanson “doesn’t ask about politics — she’s focused on whether they are a good lawyer, ‘It’s very troubling that he would say, sight unseen, that he would fire a third of the attorneys,’ Swanson said.”

As reported by MinnPost, Prentiss Cox, a former senior attorney in the Attorney General’s Office for 14 years, said that “what Wardlow promised is a ‘disqualifying” event for any prospective attorney general. ‘It is a very bright red line not to employ line staff attorneys based on party affiliation,’ Cox said.”

But this is not the first time Wardlow has revealed his real agenda to Minnesotans. While Doug Wardlow has repeatedly insisted in public that he would be “non-partisan” and “apolitical” in office if elected, behind closed doors he has made his partisan plans for the office clear.