DELAWARE – Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings’ office is defending her participation in multistate and international conferences following criticism of travel that included stays at luxury hotels and first class flights.
Documents obtained by the American Accountability Foundation show that Jennings traveled to South Africa in November 2023 and to a Women’s Empowerment Summit in Arizona in 2024, among others, but both trips included stays at upscale venues and other perks.
According to the Attorney General’s office, these trips have played a critical role in allowing Jennings to coordinate multistate legal strategies, including efforts to push back against Trump administration-era policies related to health care, education, public safety, and the rule of law.
“She would never allow tax dollars to pay for her to attend, or do so at the expense of local work,” said Mat Marshall with the Department of Justice. “But at day’s end it’s business travel, and it would be a mistake not to be in the same place as her colleagues when so much of her job requires us to play an outsized role as a small state.”
The trips were funded by the Attorney General Alliance, a corporate-sponsored nonprofit organization. According to the documents, contributors to the group include major companies such as Amazon and Uber.
Marshall added that Jennings has accepted only five of the 25 travel invitations she has received so far in 2025.
“Kathy rarely does this kind of travel, and frankly she rarely has the time to,” Marshall said. “But when there are several AGs gathering and a substantive agenda, there’s value in her joining—even moreso as she’s become a national figure.”
Jennings did not disclose the complimentary flights, hotel stays and excursions on state financial disclosure forms. According to documents, the Public Integrity Commission advised that disclosure was not necessary because the travel was bipartisan in nature.
Jennings, who has served as Delaware’s attorney general since 2019, announced on Feb. 6 that she will seek re-election in 2026.