Court says AG's drug company documents must be released

Here's the headline from the front page of today's Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Morrisey must reveal drug firm documents

The article by reporter Jake Zuckerman begins:

A Kanawha County Circuit judge ordered Attorney General Patrick Morrisey to immediately begin responding to a one-year-old public records request and scolded him for a “blatant disregard” of state public records laws.

In a ruling Monday, Judge Carrie Webster sided with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in its lawsuit against Morrisey for failing to furnish records requested on Oct. 17, 2017, related to his office’s communications with opioid manufacturers, its use of state vehicles, use of state settlement funds, travel records, and communications with other state attorneys general.

“The fact that those, a year after they’ve been sought, have still not been fully responded to, is evidence and proof of the blatant disregard of the West Virginia Attorney General as a custodian of records obligations and duties under [the Freedom of Information Act],” she said.

(Emphasis mine.)

A not very good drug settlement?

A tweet from WOWK state reporter Mark Curtis:

Senator Joe Manchin says Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is about to settle an opioid lawsuit with McKesson Pharma for $35 million or $20 per WV resident. Big tobacco settlement was $1.8 billion or $1,000 per resident ⁦@WOWK13News⁩ pic.twitter.com/GcWSFFKWTi

— Mark Curtis (@MarkCurtisWOWK) October 23, 2018

A couple of caveats on this:

• As of 11:30 AM, I could not find corroboration for Senator Manchin's assertion.

• The tobacco and the opioid lawsuits may not be comparable. McKesson is just one company.

• Manchin is not exactly an unbiased source.

Even so, this cannot help Morrisey's campaign if it happens as Manchin describes it.

Morrisey presses on with Trump (Junior, in this case)

Here's Morrisey's most recent tweet:

What an exciting rally with @DonaldJTrumpJr and @kimguilfoyle! They know, like President @realDonaldTrump, that we need a Senator who will help continue to Make America Great Again! #WVsen #MAGA pic.twitter.com/zjYonVyolW

— AG Patrick Morrisey (@MorriseyWV) October 22, 2018

Apparently, the president and his family (along with the vice president) are all that Morrisey's got left.