You too, Madam Attorney General?

I’m fairly certain I’ve never voted for a Republican candidate, but I have been pretty impressed with the work of Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. She’s a pretty tow-theline member of the GOP, and that’s fine. I’m actually pretty conservative on many of the issues the Attorney General’s Office handles (crime, consumer protection, legislative review, etc.) so I’ve been OK with most of her output, and I’ve forgiven most of the more right-wing causes she’s championed since taking office because, well, those are the things she believes in and she’s obviously going to lean toward the people that put her in office.

But sadly, she’s fallen into the orbit of Planet Trump.

You see, despite being told to go home and stop wasting everyone’s time by everyone up to and now including the Supreme Court, Trump and company are still trying to somehow convince themselves and everyone who will listen that they were cheated out of the 2020 election. In a desperate bid to reverse the clear will of the American voters, the State of Texas has somehow decided to intervene and interfere in the election results of several swing states, a move that Rutledge somehow, inexplicably, supports.

Said the Arkansas Attorney General (and alreadyannounced 2022 candidate for Arkansas Governor):

Continued on Page 15 VIEWPOINT (cont.)

“Arkansans and Americans across the country have real concerns about the lack of integrity in our federal elections this year.

After reviewing the motion filed by Texas in the U.S.

Supreme Court, I have determined that I will support the motion by the State of Texas in all legally appropriate manners. The integrity of our elections is a critical part of our nation and it must be upheld.”

Well, so much for state’s rights and small government — two pillars of the Republican Party. In case you’re confused, let me explain. The suit, again filed in Texas by the Attorney General there, seeks to overturn the results of the election in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin, alleging millions of “unlawful and constitutionally tainted votes,” despite no evidence at all. How did this ridiculous idea even get past the “What if we…?” stage without getting laughed down by reality?

It’s bad enough that this guy, Ken Paxton is his name, seems to believe it’s the job of the Texas government

General seems to think it’s a good idea. Can you imagine if someone tried to legislate our state from outside Arkansas? Would Rutledge think that was a good idea, if say, the California Attorney General filed a suit to keep Arkansas from certifying its electoral results?

There’s party loyalty and then there’s insulting your constituents and throwing away your integrity for a lost cause. As someone who is going to be seeking a higher office in 2022, Rutledge needs to consider the message she’s sending to voters by supporting this sort of overreach.