RIVERA CALLS FOR POLITICAL NEUTRALITY AT D.C.
ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE
RIVERA PLANS FORMAL COMPLAINT OVER USE OF OAG
COMMUNICATIONS WEBSITE DURING ATTORNEY GENERAL CAMPAIGN
Rivera Plans Formal Complaint Over Use of OAG Government Website for Attorney General Campaign for Reelection WASHINGTON, D.C. — Manuel Rivera, candidate for Attorney General of the District of Columbia, today called for changes in how the Office of the Attorney General communicates major litigation results to the public. Rivera said his concern is not that the Office of the Attorney General informs residents about lawsuits, settlements, judgments and other significant legal developments. Keeping the public informed is an appropriate function of the Office. His concern is that official government communications should emphasize the work of the institution, rather than creating the impression that routine functions of the Office are the personal accomplishments of Attorney General Brian Schwalb. The OAG government website promotes Brian Schwalb’s personal image more aggressively than his official campaign website does, raising legitimate questions about the use of a taxpayer platform for personal political promotion, Rivera explained. “Filing lawsuits, negotiating settlements, protecting consumers and workers, and enforcing the laws are fundamental responsibilities of any Attorney General’s office in any state or city,” Rivera said. “When the government wins an important case, the credit belongs to the Office of the Attorney General, not simply to Attorney General Schwalb.” Rivera pointed to the District’s official OAG website and its news releases, which repeatedly use formulations such as “Attorney General Schwalb Secures,” “Attorney General Schwalb Announces,” and “Attorney General Schwalb Sues.” Therefore, the media outlets repeat the same thing. Rivera said that this practice deserves scrutiny during an election campaign because government communications should remain clearly distinguishable from campaign communications. D.C. law prohibits the use of District government resources to support or oppose a candidate for public office. The District’s Local Hatch Act also restricts government employees from using official authority or influence for the purpose of affecting an election. The Board of Ethics and Government Accountability (BEGA) guidance provides that official government websites and social media accounts should be used for official purposes and remain politically neutral. “I am currently reviewing the matter to determine whether there are sufficient legal and factual grounds to file a complaint with the appropriate D.C. authorities responsible for overseeing the electoral process and if warranted, to seek judicial relief to enjoin the practice,” Rivera said. “The question is where legitimate government communication ends and political self-promotion begins,” Rivera said. “An incumbent should be especially careful during an election campaign to preserve a clear separation between the resources of the government and the resources of the campaign.” As recent as May 2026, D.C. Council Chairman, Phil Mendelson, an ally of Attorney General Brian Schwalb, was found by the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance to have violated D.C. Code section 1-1163.36(a) and Title 3 of the D.C. Municipal Regulations section 3301. OCF imposed a $4,000.00 fine against Mendelson campaign Committee and ordered Mendelson to take an “Ethics Training through BEGA. Significantly, Attorney General Brian Schwalb has received hundreds of thousands of dollars through the D.C. Fair Elections Program, which is finance with taxpayer dollars. Under the program, for each qualifying dollar donated to his campaign Schwalb receives five dollars in matching funds. Rivera has been advocating for the elimination of the Fair Elections Programs, which use taxpayer money to finance political campaigns. “We do not need to use taxpayer dollars to finance politicians’ campaigns,” Rivera said. Those public funds could be better directed toward higher priority needs, including programs for senior citizens, youth rehabilitation and crime prevention, hiring additional police officers, programs for the homeliness, and, where appropriate, improving compensation for the dedicated attorneys and staff of the Office of the Attorney General.” Rivera said that, if elected, he would change the communications policy of the Office so that major litigation announcements emphasize the institutional work of the Office of the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, while appropriately recognizing the attorneys and professional staff responsible for the work.