MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Bob Ferguson willing to sue all presidents, not just Trump

Mar 9, 2017, 2:32 PM | Updated: 2:54 pm

In January, State Republican Party Chairman Susan Hutchison said State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against President Trump’s executive order was essentially the beginning of Ferguson’s campaign for governor. Actually, that’s exactly what she said.

Related: Ferguson says Trump can’t play ‘whack-a-mole’ with travel ban

“Mr. Ferguson basically kicked off his campaign for governor,” the Republican Chairman said during a news conference in Bellevue.

Hutchison was insinuating that the attorney general is positioning himself for a run at the governor’s mansion in 2020 and the only reason he was suing over the order — aka Trump’s travel ban — was to get support from Democrats on the far left.

If that’s the case, then what were Ferguson’s ulterior motives for suing former President Barack Obama — twice?

That’s right. Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued the Obama administration twice over the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The lawsuits fought to hold the administration accountable for cleaning up the nuclear waste at the site and protecting worker safety.

For a little background, the 586-square-mile Hanford nuclear site is located on the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. It was used to produce plutonium for the U.S. nuclear weapons program from 1943 to 1987. Production of weapons for World War II and the Cold War left behind solid and liquid chemical waste — much of which is also radioactive, according to the AG’s office.

The federal government employs workers to remove the nuclear waste that is located in 177 underground tanks.

Though he vowed to continue to hold President Trump accountable for his new travel ban, Ferguson announced he does not need to file another lawsuit.

“This cannot be a game of whack-a-mole,” Ferguson said, adding that the president can’t just repackage an executive order and decide it’s different enough than the original. That, he says, is up to the court.

To say Ferguson is suing the administration to better position his run for governor could be a little far-fetched. Of course, Ferguson was elected in 2013 and only sued the Obama administration over the course of several years. As of Thursday, Trump has only been in office for 48 days. So, if Ferguson is gearing up his run for governor in 2020, he has plenty of time left to add to his portfolio.

As a side note, The Seattle Times reported Hutchison also said that sources told her Gov. Jay Inslee has a desire to run for president in 2020.

Let’s see how many lawsuits it takes to get into the White House.

MyNorthwest News

Otter Bar...

Paola Tristan Arruda, KIRO 7 News

Otter Bar to close after seven years as Eastlake construction, rising costs take toll

After seven years in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood, Otter Bar is preparing to close its doors for good.

56 minutes ago

Sound Transit light rail car stuck...

Frank Lenzi

Car gets stuck near Rainier Beach station in Seattle’s second light rail track incident this year

For the second time this year, a car got stuck on Seattle light rail tracks.

1 hour ago

seattle drug trafficking ghost gun...

MyNorthwest Staff

Seattle man sentenced to 5 years for drug trafficking while armed with ‘ghost gun’

A 24-year-old Seattle man was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for dealing cocaine while armed with a 9mm polymer gun with an extended magazine.

2 hours ago

trans sports initiative...

Brandon Thompson, KIRO 7 News

ACLU files lawsuit over trans sports initiative in WA

A group led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington State has filed to block the implementation of Initiative 638.

2 hours ago

Alaska Airlines...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘We’re estimating between 10 and 20%’: Seattle attorney suing Alaska, Delta and others says airlines teamed up to inflate fares

A Seattle attorney said airline passengers may be paying 10% to 20% more than they should because major airlines are sharing private fare data.

3 hours ago

king county courthouse security...

Frank Lenzi

King County courthouse logs more than 50 security reports in 2026, including judge assault

More than 50 security incident reports have been filed at the King County Courthouse so far in 2026, including an assault on a judge in their courtroom.

5 hours ago

Bob Ferguson willing to sue all presidents, not just Trump