Before he was sworn in as Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry, in his capacity as attorney general, signed a contract with a Washington, D.C.-based law firm to review Louisiana State Police policy. A copy of the contract the Illuminator obtained through a public records request caps compensation at $300,000, News From The States reports. The law firm WilmerHale began its work Nov. 1 and its contract expires at the end of this month. The firm or the state can request an extension. The $300,000 ceiling includes any expenses the law firm would bill to the state, and it sets a $750-per-hour rate for attorneys.
Landry announced the deal at the Superdome in New Orleans on Nov. 29, nearly a month after its start date and five weeks before Landry became governor. Then Attorney General-elect Liz Murrill took part in the news conference, though she did not give the impression that the law firm had already started work, saying,. “I’m aware of an already-existing United States Department of Justice pattern or practice inquiry that the [Louisiana State Police] has been engaging in for many months under the current administration. Our office takes that matter very seriously,” Murrill said. “So I will be conducting our own deep dive and review of all the pertinent facts, so that we’ll know best how to respond to this inquiry going forward.”
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