Former Attorney General John Swallow wants his old job back
Mar 19, 2020, 5:06 PM | Updated: 5:06 pm
File Photo of former AG John Swallow courtesy of the Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah elections officials say John Swallow, a former Utah attorney general who resigned while facing federal and state investigations and was later acquitted of all charges, will seek the position again.
Swallow is a Republican who served as chief deputy to former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, who also faced and was cleared from state charges.
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Shurtleff and Swallow both faced investigation over accusations of corruption and bribery related to Jeremy Johnson, a businessman who faced mail-fraud charges. Johnson alleged Swallow attempted to bribe Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada to help Johnson avoid a lawsuit.
Eventually, Shurtleff and Swallow’s legal actions were separated. Swallow was acquitted on all charges; the charges against Shurtleff were found to be false and dismissed.
The state settled with both men; Swallow received $1.5 million and Shurtleff $600,000. In an interview with Doug Wright in 2019, Swallow said while the sum sounds large, it basically allowed him to “break even” on his legal bills in fighting the accusations.
Only one other candidate has declared an intent to run for attorney general in 2020: Democrat Greg Skordas, who has served in the past as a fill-in talk show host and legal analyst for KSL.
