Group?s 6 January donation shows Trump?s grip on attorneys general

A key group of Republican attorneys general that donated $150,000 to co-sponsor the 6 January rally where Donald Trump pushed his false claims of election fraud before the Capitol attack could draw scrutiny from a House committee investigating the events on or in the lead-up to the riot.

The group - a part of the Republican Attorneys General Association (Raga) called the Rule of Law Defense Fund - has attracted strong criticism from watchdogs and ex-prosecutors even as Raga looks forward to next year's midterm elections and many of its members are fighting on numerous fronts against Joe Biden's agenda.

The controversy around Raga appears to be yet another way that Trump and his supporters have increased their grip on more mainstream elements of the Republican party, and involved them in efforts to further their agenda.

The RLDF, the policy arm of Raga, ponied up $150,000 for the 6 January rally, and arranged robocalls the day before informing people that "we will march to the Capitol and tell Congress to stop the steal," a message that was probably reinforced by Texas's attorney general, Ken Paxton, who told Trump's rally: "We will not quit fighting."

Watchdog criticism of the Raga policy arm that backed the rally stresses that the group's funding and robocalls occurred after dozens of court rulings rejected Trump's claims of fraud. They say it undermines respect for the nation's laws, as well as departing from the group's main focus of helping get Republican attorneys general elected.

Further, the rally funding and robocalls by the RLDF sparked resignations of high-level officials, including the Raga chairman, the Georgia attorney general, who broached concern about the group's direction when he stepped down.

The controversies about Raga's rally activities come as the group has received a hefty $5.5m from the dark money Concord Fund since the start of 2020, which can help Republican attorneys general in the 2022 elections, and as many Republican attorneys general including Paxton have filed lawsuits to thwart Biden's energy, immigration and vaccine policies.