Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has stated that he will not personally talk to New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno until an investigation determines who was behind the July indictment of Attorney General Liz Murrill. Landry mentioned that Moreno is free to have a discussion with his staff, but he will not engage in personal talks until the investigation is done.

Background of the Investigation

The situation began when a New Orleans grand jury indicted Murrill over allegations that she had threatened and attempted to intimidate New Orleans elected officials. Although the charges against the attorney general have been dropped, Landry launched a Louisiana State Police investigation into the origins of the indictment. Both Landry and Murrill have alleged that the criminal proceedings were politically motivated by the city’s elected Democrats.

In May, Murrill sent letters to several New Orleans officials, including Moreno, warning them that Landry, as governor, could remove them from office if they continued to pursue a special election for the newly combined New Orleans clerk of court job. This was after the Republican-led legislature and Landry approved a law to merge the civil and criminal clerks of court offices in New Orleans.

Implications and Next Steps

Landry has implied that New Orleans officials were behind the indictment, although he offered no specifics about those allegations. The governor also did not rule out holding a special legislative session to change laws surrounding the New Orleans court system. The investigation into the indictment is ongoing, and its outcome may have significant implications for the relationship between the state and local governments in Louisiana.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.