Ferguson defends his record as attorney general, cites major recoveries and contested criminal prosecutions

Attorney General Bob Ferguson defended his record as a litigating attorney general, saying his office built prosecutorial and consumer-protection capacity that allowed it to take on powerful companies and win large recoveries, while also acknowledging some high-profile criminal verdicts did not go the state's way.

Ferguson said his office grew to roughly 800 attorneys and that the consumer-protection and antitrust work produced substantial recoveries for the state, including more than $1 billion in a set of pharmaceutical-related cases and $2.8 billion overall recovered from corporations over his tenure. "That's what people want, I think," he said, arguing that residents want "smart government" that works for them.

The interviewer pointed out that Ferguson's office also lost two high-profile criminal cases mentioned in the segment: the prosecution related to allegations involving Pierce County sheriff Ed Troyer and a separate case involving Tacoma police officers accused in the death of Manny Ellis. Ferguson said the office respects jury verdicts: "We bring the cases we think are appropriate. We respect the jury process." He added that his team handles major criminal cases for jurisdictions across the state and cited that his office handles 38 of 39 violent-predator cases as an example of that capacity.

The interview also referenced a civil claim: former Tacoma officer Timothy Rankin has filed a $47,000,000 legal claim against the state alleging that Ferguson's office politically motivated its case against him. The interview did not include a response to that claim beyond noting it was filed.

Ferguson framed his record as evidence of an office that can both pursue consumer-protection litigation against corporations and provide prosecutorial support to local jurisdictions. The segment did not include new charges, settlements, or legal filings resolving the Rankin claim.