State attorneys general across the U.S. issued a statement Monday calling for a “peaceful transfer of power” and condemned “any acts of violence” ahead of Election Day.
Notably absent from the group: The attorneys general of Indiana, Montana and Texas.
It’s unclear why those three — all Republicans — chose not to sign the statement from the National Association of Attorneys General, which emphasized “respect for the democratic process.”
The coalition that signed was led by the group’s president, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, along with Connecticut’s William Tong, a fellow Democrat, and two Republicans: Ohio’s Dave Yost and Kansas’s Kris Kobach.
“Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, we expect that Americans will respond peacefully,” the statement said. “… Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.”
Other Republican attorneys general signed, including Sean Reyes of Utah — chair of the Republican Attorneys General group — Steve Marshall of Alabama, the group’s former chair, and Jonathan Skrmetti of Tennessee, the group’s policy chair.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch Donald Trump ally, appeared at the Washington, D.C., rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and filed a lawsuit unsuccessfully challenging 2020 election results in several battleground states.
Ahead of this election, Paxton filed a lawsuit that successfully blocked federal Department of Justice election monitors from entering polls as planned in eight Texas counties and has sent monitors from his office to observe.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita had led a coalition of Republican attorneys general — including Paxton and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen — who filed a brief in support of a lawsuit that urged the Colorado Supreme Court to rule Trump eligible to appear on this year’s presidential ballot. The court ruled against them, but that ruling was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.