Karl Baker captures Bethany Hall Long’s utter incompetence in screwing up one of the only things she’s responsible for. Featuring unusually harsh language from the Attorney General. State Auditor is also involved. Looks like at least some Democratic officials are tired of cleaning up and/or covering up her messes. Great reporting from Karl Baker. Oh, and a tip of the sombrero to our very own hmm:
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings is urging members of the state’s opioid commission to pause the flow of public dollars to charities that provide addiction services, claiming that certain organizations’ use of the money is “rife with potential for fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Jennings made the comments on Friday in a scathing letter sent to members of the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission, which is tasked with directing the hundreds of millions of dollars in proceeds that Delaware has secured in past years from legal settlements with prescription opioid producers, distributors and pharmacies.
In 2023, Delaware had received nearly $250 million in such settlements, according to a report from the Office of the Attorney General. The state has received several million more since then, and on Friday the opioid commission recommended that the latest round of dollars fund a variety of recovery programs.
But Jennings said Delaware should wait.
“I share everyone’s sense of urgency in getting these funds where they are needed, but we still have no satisfactory answer as to where those targets are. I have repeatedly stressed that even this seemingly large pot of money is finite and that not all spending is created equal. And I continue to urge restraint; it has been 20 months since the Commission began awarding grants, and we still do not have know where these funds will be most useful, how we will measure their impact, or even whether our grantees are compliant,” Jennings wrote in her letter that detailed more than a year of efforts by her and others to establish sufficient reporting measurements and oversight to no avail.
Baker shares the letter that Jennings sent to the Commission. The letter outlines her repeated attempts to get some clarity on the awarding and tracking of the grants. There are no such attempts at accountability from co-Chair BHL. Her statement pretty much defines her:
In her statement, Hall-Long said she shares Jennings’ concerns about “ensuring our processes are sound.”
“I’m happy to continue working with the Department of Justice and the State Auditor’s Office to further strengthen our protections while ensuring these dollars reach our families and communities,” she said.
Gee, mighty nice of her. Oh, the members of the Commission? Perhaps Stephanie Hansen, who has been carrying BHL’s water since getting elected to replace her, will deign to speak publicly. Oh, and Michael Smith–doesn’t he have a great D challenger this year? Why, yes, yes he does. And, seriously, WTF is Bible Thumper Sen. Richardson doing on a commission like this? Looks like BHL hand-picked the members, which is why so few are talking.
Good thing Karl Baker is reporting.