Lawmaker corruption in Arkansas a topic at attorney general debate

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge revealed during a televised debate Wednesday that her office is investigating former lawmakers as part of an ongoing Medicaid corruption inquiry.

Both of Rutledge's opponents in the debate, Democrat Mike Lee and Libertarian Kerry Hicks, accused the incumbent Republican of not doing enough to prosecute corruption and wrongdoing at the state Capitol, where seven current and former lawmakers have faced criminal charges in recent years, but none filed by Rutledge.

Rutledge then took her opportunity in the opening minutes of the debate to highlight the work of her office's new Public Corruption Unit.

"We are currently investigating former legislators and legislators as part of our Medicaid fraud investigation," Rutledge said. "We will continue to investigate those individuals and hold them accountable."

Read more: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/oct/11/lawmaker-corruption-a-topic-at-ag-face-/