Attorney General Kris Kobach needs to put Kansas first and set aside his law firm pursuits

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is busy.

He’s been on retainer with the city of Fremont, Nebraska, until this month.

The Topeka Capital Journal’s Andrew Bahl reports the Fremont, Nebraska, city council voted 5-3 May 9 to end its contract with Kobach's law firm, a long-running deal where Kobach was paid a $10,000 per year retainer if the city were sued over an ordinance he helped draft.

That ordinance, which prohibits landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants, was approved by the city's voters in 2010 after years of wrangling. It has been on the books after voters opted not to revoke it in 2014 but has been largely unenforceable.

More: Kris Kobach's private practice work raises questions, despite serving as attorney general

Bahl reports Kobach helped a number of local governments across the country draft similar measures, only to be retained as legal counsel when they were challenged in court. In the past, this has caught the attention of national media.

But that’s not all he’s done. While running for attorney general, Kobach also joined onto multiple cases that made headlines in Kansas and across the country. They range from challenging President Biden’s immigration policies to challenging vaccination requirements for armed service members.

While it’s not illegal for Kobach to moonlight, his website notes he can’t provide legal advice to private citizens as attorney general.

Nevertheless, we do think Kansans deserve Kobach's full attention as attorney general.

We do think he owes the state and its citizens an explanation. Certainly, he needs to come clean about how much he’s moonlighting. But also who is he working for? How many hours is he spending on these projects? Have any state funds or resources been used to support these efforts? Have these projects taken him away from state business?

Right now, we don’t have the answers we need.

More: Kris Kobach to rebid contract after canceling deal with law firm that donated to Democrats

When asked about this, Kobach didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Kobach needs to be willing to answer the above questions.

Ultimately, we believe he should let his private practice go while he holds office. Our attorney general needs to be available to the state and its agencies, not anyone willing to pay his retainer.

The point of public office is public service. If you’re doing it for the money, go back to private practice.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach needs to set aside his law firm