The Idaho State Bar has opened an investigation into Attorney General Raúl Labrador over allegations of misconduct after a state official accused him of disregarding his obligations to his client, the Department of Health and Welfare .
The investigation stems from a complaint filed last year by Dave Jeppesen, former director of Health and Welfare, who accused the state elected official of several ethics violations, including failing to properly represent the health agency and trying to use information obtained confidentially from the department while acting as its attorney to pursue his own investigations . The Idaho Statesman obtained a copy of the complaint from Jeppesen, who supplied records of the investigation at a reporter’s request.
“Recent actions taken by AG Labrador … demonstrate that (he) does not view DHW as his client, is placing his own policy priorities over DHW’s needs for legal advice and representation, has created an unworkable conflict in representing the department, and has taken an adversarial position against DHW,” Jeppesen wrote in his complaint filed in June 2023.