RICHMOND, VA – Longtime conservative leader, 2014 U.S. Senate candidate and 2017 Republican candidate for Governor Ed Gillespie on Wednesday criticized Attorney General Mark Herring’s use of forfeiture funds to provide pay raises for his staff.
“Attorney General Mark Herring used an obscure federal loophole and accounting gimmicks to give his staff massive pay raises. According to media reports, he appears to have purposefully sought out ways to evade the rules and cut corners, ignoring the spirit of the law and the fiscal realities facing the Commonwealth, to provide back-door pay raises generated from forfeiture funds. Putting staff pay raises ahead of funds for law enforcement and using one-time money to provide ongoing salary increases is an irresponsible decision based on misplaced priorities.
“The Attorney General knows Virginia State Police faces a massive manpower shortage, sheriffs and local law enforcement agencies are hurting, and rank and file state employees lost their pay raise due to the revenue shortfall. Funds from the Abbott Labs settlement were very clearly meant to be used to provide training and equipment for local law enforcement, combat human trafficking, and prosecute child pornography. Relying on one-time forfeiture funds to provide ongoing salary increases when the state is facing a $1.2 billion shortfall is irresponsible. While I have no doubt that the civil employees of the Attorney General’s office are hardworking and dedicated, the Attorney General needs to explain why these raises were appropriate given the intended uses of the fund and the fiscal challenges facing state government.”