Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi plans to fight a subpoena to testify in an ongoing campaign finance lawsuit.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s office is getting into the fray.

On Thursday, a Senior Assistant Attorney General warned the lawyer bringing the lawsuit that he’s not in compliance with state law. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

Rossi has been subpoenaed to testify next Wednesday – the day of his final debate with Democratic incumbent Chris Gregoire and the first day absentee ballots are available.

He says Gregoire’s fingerprints are on the lawsuit and he has no plans to show up.

Dino Rossi: “They want to talk to me on the day of our last debate with her partisan lawyer with an unlimited time frame, well you know what we’re not going to play that game.”

Gregoire’s campaign denies it’s behind the court action. The Rossi subpoena is part of a lawsuit against the Building Industry Association of Washington.

It was brought by Knoll Lowney, a Democratic attorney, on behalf of two former Washington Supreme Court justices who are contributors to Gregoire’s campaign.

But now the Washington Attorney General’s office has sent Lowney a letter that says by law he cannot file a lawsuit until the state has had time to investigate the allegations and decide whether to take action.