Six of the eight top attorneys assigned to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare have quit or been fired by Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador since March.
Some of those lawyers made a loud exit, pointing to Labrador’s increasingly complicated relationship with a department he is legally required to represent.
Labrador promised in his campaign for attorney general to overhaul how the office operates. Since taking office, he has created a new position in the office’s executive team and pledged to change how the office provides legal advice.
He also turned a critical eye to Health and Welfare. He opened an investigation into what he believes may have been illegal activity surrounding pandemic-era grants to child care providers; sought records to investigate child protection cases; and his office has fought attempts by Health and Welfare officials to block Labrador’s investigative demands.
The head of Health and Welfare — Idaho’s largest state agency — said the departures have already caused problems for the department and the people it serves.
“The loss of so much specialized legal knowledge, expertise, experience and history at one time has compromised the department’s ability to carry out the laws and policies that the legislature has enacted via statute,” wrote Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen in an email responding to...
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