SEATTLE — Washington Governor-elect Bob Ferguson and Attorney General-elect Nick Brown discussed Thursday how their offices plan to prepare for a second Trump administration.
Ferguson laid out the work the Attorney General's Office has done in light of President-elect Trump's second upcoming administration. The soon-to-be governor highlighted the experience his current office has litigating policies from Trump's first administration, which defeated 55 illegal actions and policies from 2017 to 2021.
"I want those Washingtonians to know that the attorney general's office has been preparing for quite some time and feel prepared to defend their freedoms and protect their rights," Ferguson said. "I'll just say their collective experience in litigating during the first Trump administration is, and this is an understatement, extensive. There is no legal team anywhere in the country, I'm confident, who has more experience, more experience winning and litigating these types of cases."
Ferguson said key issues his team will be looking at include reproductive rights, environmental protections and civil rights.
Ferguson said his legal team began preparing for a potential second Trump term months ago and knew they needed to be prepared from day one. He said his team has gone line by line through Project 2025, a 900-page policy document created by a conservative think tank, and the Trump campaign's Agenda 47, which echoes many ideas expanded upon in Project 2025.
"To be blunt, what is in Project 2025, and Agenda 47 is constitutes an assault on reproductive rights, healthcare access, environmental protections, to name just a few," Fergusons said. "So speaking for myself, I'm deeply concerned, of course, by potential implementation of the policies outlined in those documents."
Ferguson laid out two tools at the state's disposal to fight potential Trump policies, litigation and enforcement.
Ferguson said first, litigation, like the attorney general's office pursued during the first Trump administration, but stopped short of expanding on legal arguments the state could use. On the second tool, enforcement, Ferguson said the state has a right to enforce its laws.
"I'm concerned that another Trump administration will not be as vigilant enforcing environmental protections, for example, or civil rights enforcement," Ferguson said. "The good news is we have a team here in Washington state that can enforce our laws. Here in Washington state nothing that Donald Trump does, or his administration does, takes away our ability to enforce our rights here in Washington state, to protect our environment, to defend civil rights of all Washingtonians."
Brown echoed Ferguson's sentiments and highlighted the attorney general's office's leadership role among other states.
"I've learned a lot over the last year as a candidate for attorney general, how much not only the people of Washington look to this office as a leader, but indeed the entire country," Brown said. "My commitment is to continue to lead in this work ahead. And I know that people are concerned about the potential actions that a second Trump administration might take. My commitment to this office and to all the men and women is that we will be prepared. We will be prepared for whatever comes."
Brown expressed his soon-to-be office's commitment to not only fight potential Trump policies that may negatively impact Washingtonians but to expand the issues the state's citizens care about.
"So much of our collective national attention goes to the presidency and the impact that a presidential administration can have, and we should be prepared to respond that, in my perspective, as the AG-elect, prepare to use this office to respond to that," Brown said. "But I would also add that I think the vast majority of the things that we as Washingtonians think about, worry about or concerned about on a day-to-day basis, are the issues that are happening here in Washington and how Washington law can be improved. I want to make sure that this office and partnership with the governor's office and all the state and local leaders across the state are focusing as well on what can we do here. What can we do to continue the work, regardless of it's a Trump administration or Biden administration, and that's going to be a big part of the work that we have going forward as well."