AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration has paid more than $385,000 since 2014 for a couple of private law firms to represent him in court when the Democratic attorney general declined to do so or when he requested private lawyers, according to a state database of government finances.

LePage is suing Attorney General Janet Mills, claiming her refusal to represent him has cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside counsel fees. His lawsuit says he wants her office to pay his legal fees if she refuses to represent his positions.

The governor’s office hasn’t disclosed the cost of his latest lawsuit, which was filed Monday by his former campaign treasurer and donor Bryan Dench in Kennebec County Superior Court. Dench has declined to comment. LePage’s office has said it’ll take time to provide accurate numbers.

According to emails reviewed by the AP, the governor this year asked the Attorney General’s Office to draw up or pay for his amicus briefs in support of President Trump’s immigration and travel orders. Mills’ office said it authorized outside counsel for such briefs but that it’s unaware of historical precedent for paying the legal fees.

In Maine, the attorney general can decide whether to represent the governor based on what he or she believes is in the public interest, according to a 1989 Maine Supreme Judicial Court decision.

LePage has repeatedly claimed Mills has overstepped her constitutional authority and jeopardized his executive power. He has taken his frustrations over Mills’ actions to the state’s highest court and the Legislature.

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In 2015, he unsuccessfully sought a constitutional amendment to allow the governor to appoint the attorney general, who is currently elected by the Legislature.

During a radio call-in show Tuesday, LePage said he would pay for the lawsuit against Mills with money from his contingency fund, which he’s used to cover the costs of other lawsuits.

“But there’s not enough to fight all these battles,” said LePage, who also has unsuccessfully asked lawmakers for funds to pay outside counsel.

A state database of government finances last updated in January details the cost of such fights.

The state’s risk management fund paid $160,000 to Consovoy McCarthy Park, which has a Boston office and represented LePage in former Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves’ abuse of power lawsuit, which was dismissed.

LePage requested outside counsel because he believed it would be a conflict of interest for the Attorney General’s Office. The office said it didn’t “necessarily agree” but approved the request.

The state paid the remaining $225,000 to Roach Hewitt Ruprecht Sanchez & Bischoff, which represented the state in two lawsuits. In 2014, LePage hired the Portland law firm to appeal the federal government’s denial of his request to remove 6,000 young adults from the state’s Medicaid program. Mills told the governor the case had “little legal merit” and wouldn’t be a good use of money. That lawsuit failed.

The law firm also defended the state in a lawsuit filed by the Maine Municipal Association and two cities challenging the state’s policy to withhold General Assistance benefits to immigrants living in the state illegally. LePage claimed victory in a 2015 split ruling.


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