LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Friday, Feb. 2, Attorney General Tim Griffin sent a letter to the Arkansas Board of Corrections (ABOC) accusing them of multiple violations of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Griffin said the first violation came when the board invited Chad Brown, the CFO of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, as "Brown is not permitted to be in an executive session ... the true purpose of this executive session appears to have been to discuss how to pay the invoice for your illegally retained special counsel."
Another violation was when the board "appointed Senator Eddie Joe Williams as interim secretary ... the board has no power to unilaterally appoint a secretary," Griffin states.
In a separate letter to Williams, Griffin encouraged him to decline the unanimous ABOC appointment, stating that ABOC "usurped" Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' powers with the appointment.
The attorney general ended the letter by asking Williams to deny the appointment and warned that if the role was accepted, it "may result in litigation being filed to prevent you from serving and being compensated."
This move is another step in the ongoing feud between the prison board and the Sanders administration regarding adding more beds to existing prisons.
The board has challenged the governor, citing safety concerns and staffing issues.
In the same meeting where Williams was named interim secretary—the one Griffin says violated FOIA—the board approved adding more beds to state prisons.
Griffin ended one of the letters by saying "The Board’s actions at these two executive sessions are in direct contravention of Arkansas law. [ABOC] must cure these illegal actions immediately."
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