But a Whitmire staff member, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the office, said Baylor and the AG’s office are “playing silly games” with its interpretations of the Public Information Act.

“I think they are playing silly games, and yes, they have a right to go to the attorney general’s office, but didn’t (Attorney General Ken Paxton) graduate from Baylor Law School?” the Whitmire staffer said. “They are subject to the same rules that a public police department is and they have to provide the same information through the Public Information Act. I think they are just playing silly games with it.”

Paxton got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Baylor, but attended law school at the University of Virginia.

Whitmire’s office will be monitoring AG rulings that pertain to the new bill, he said.

“There is nothing wrong with the bill,” he said. “It is just how they are playing the game. They are subject to the entire open records laws, just like any public police department. That is what the law says. They have a right to oppose it and send it to the AG, but that is where the game is getting silly.”