Another Ferguson Transparency Failure Emerges in Center Square Investigation

Recently uncovered records reported by The Center Square expose a troubling pattern: During his time as Attorney General, and now as Governor, Bob Ferguson has consistently fallen short of the transparency and accountability standards he loudly proclaims.

In 2023, the Washington State Bar Association opened a confidential investigation into Ferguson’s office of the Attorney General related to a $3 million, taxpayer-funded settlement in a neglect case at an adult family home. Court findings had condemned his office for “egregious” and “cavalier” failures to turn over tens of thousands of records, yet the Bar ultimately concluded there was not enough evidence to prove Ferguson himself did anything illegal — and, significantly, kept the probe hidden from the public at the time.

That silence flies in the face of Ferguson’s public promises. While serving as Attorney General and campaigning for governor, he pledged that his administration would “make the state more responsive, efficient and transparent,” vowing reform in how agencies report metrics, complaints, and performance. Yet this ethics investigation was only made public after outside pressure, not proactively disclosed as one might expect from a leader who campaigned as a reformer.

At the same time, his office argued that the sheer size of the Attorney General’s Office made it “challenging” to attribute those discovery failures directly to him — calling into question his claims of personal accountability.

This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, a campaign watchdog found Ferguson’s handling of over $1.2 million in surplus campaign funds technically complied with the rules — but only after formal citizen complaints and months of delay. That stands in stark contrast to Ferguson’s own words: “I have spent my career fighting for transparency in our elections and for campaign finance reform.”

The issue extends beyond ethics: Ferguson’s fiscal record raises similar red flags. Throughout the 2025 legislative session, he repeatedly voiced a desire for a balanced approach to addressing Washington’s budget shortfall.

In February 2025, he proposed slashing about $3.9 billion from the budget, including unpaid furloughs for many state workers, travel reductions, and zero-based budget reviews. He said plainly, “We’re not going to tax our way out of this thing.”

Despite committing early to a “cuts-first” approach, by May, Ferguson had approved a budget with $12.5 billion in new taxes — the largest tax increase in state history — while doing little to curb spending.

These aren’t isolated moments — they reveal a pattern. Ferguson often talks about reform, transparency, and making state government work better, but he only acts when public pressure leaves no alternative. He pledges to scrub waste from the multi-billion dollar state budget, yet signs off on massive tax hikes. He says government must be open and accountable, yet serious ethical issues surrounding his own conduct weren’t addressed proactively — they were exposed by outside media.

For Washingtonians who believe government should be transparent, fiscally responsible, and aligned with the needs of the people rather than political ambition this isn’t just disappointing — it’s a credibility problem. Washingtonians are right to expect leaders who lead with action, not slogans.