Buckingham also confirmed that private attorney Deborah E. Fisher has a contract with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
Records from the federal court showed that Fisher is representing CUC in complying with two stipulation orders.
Buckingham did not disclose the amount of the two lawyers’ contracts.
“Mr. Huesman did resign from the [Attorney General’s Office]…. He is making less money under contract than he was making as an assistant attorney general,” Buckingham told the Variety.
When asked if he “is not really practicing what he is preaching,” Buckingham said: “I appreciate and respect Mr. Huesman’s experience. My instructions were that he could be given a contract; however, the contract would not be approved if it meant he would earn more money as a private attorney than as an assistant attorney general.”
Huesman and Fisher did not respond to the inquiries of this reporter.
Last May, Buckingham said it should be the AGO providing legal services to autonomous agencies and not private lawyers. This would reduce government costs, he said.
He believed that the government was “violating the Constitution everyday” by having different legal advisers for autonomous agencies instead of relying on the AGO.
Former Rep. Tina Sablan has filed Open Government Act requests for the disclosure of all government contracts with private lawyers.
The requests were sent to various departments and agencies, including the governor’s office and autonomous entities.
