Humane Society Refuses To Release Documents, Sues Oklahoma AG

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt's Office has been sued by the Humane Society of the United States after the organization's refusal to release documents the Oklahoma official has requested. The AG's office has called into question HSUS fundraising efforts. According to a news release, Pruitt on Wednesday urged the HSUS to disclose documents that the group will not give to the Attorney General's Office pursuant to a civil investigative demand (CID). After several time extensions, HSUS failed to comply with the requests in a timely manner and instead has chosen to respond with a lawsuit, Pruitt says. The AG said he is reviewing the solicitation practices of the HSUS in order to address concerns that the group's solicitations in Oklahoma may be misleading. "The concern is that the HSUS projects heart-wrenching imagery of puppies and kittens in solicitations in order to extract donations from unsuspecting Oklahomans who believe their donations are going to help local animal shelters, but instead, their hard-earned money may go to high-powered lobbying and special interest campaigns that are determined to shape state and federal legislation that would harm farmers, ranchers and other Oklahomans," a statement from Pruitt says. Pruitt says his office has the statutory authority to monitor and regulate charities operating in Oklahoma and has requested records from the HSUS through a CID. "After multiple attempts by the Attorney General's office to acquire a good faith response, including extra time to comply with the CID, the group has responded with a lawsuit," Pruitt said. HSUS released a statement to media on Wednesday, claiming Pruitt's requests amount to a “fishing expedition,” that he doesn't have the authority to request the documents and that the documents his office seeks include confidential and proprietary information...more