ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Mayor Brandon Scott defended decisions to cut access to certain documents for the city’s watchdog as transparency concerns continue to go within City Hall.
During Baltimore’s winter storm, Mayor Brandon Scott announced via news release the Office of Information and Technology was suddenly cutting the OIG’s access to Law Department documents, citing attorney-client privilege concerns.
To comply with the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct that require lawyers “to assure confidential and privileged communications for clients,” the city directed BCIT to remove unauthorized accounts from accessing Law Department files.
Cumming took issue with the change, which she said will hinder investigations.
“There’s no privilege. There are no privileged materials because again, we’re one entity, so you can’t hide behind the words you know attorney-client privilege,” Cumming previously told FOX45 News. “In the middle of a snowstorm, I get notified by a reporter about a press release.”
FOX45 News questioned Mayor Scott Wednesday about the policy shift, noting the OIG advisory board issued a statement raising concerns as well. Mayor Scott said an attorney from the Health Department realized someone from the OIG had “unauthorized access” to the documents.
“In this country, there is no lawyer worth their salt that would allow anyone to have access to their information for their clients, right? That will not happen,” Scott said.
When pressed on the fact that Cumming has argued there is no privilege concerns considering she too works for the city, the mayor maintained his position.
“She’s not that person’s lawyer,” Scott said.
Concerns surrounding transparency stretch beyond the Law Department however. Amid an ongoing probe, Cumming said she requested and subpoenaed financial information from an undisclosed city agency. Instead of details though, she received hundreds of pages filled with redactions, shedding little light on the situation under investigation.
Holding up a piece of paper nearly entirely redacted, Cumming said she received a receipt of online payment – through the Cash App – but noted the receiver information was redacted.
“All I know is that it’s a cash out payment, but where my part of the job, which is to find out who, who got the money and whether that’s legit,” she said. “I mean quite simply, I can’t do the job when I’m given [information] that’s blacked out.”
The reason for the redactions, according to Mayor Scott, was to protect juvenile and personal financial information.
“We cannot share that information because it’s prohibited by Maryland state law,” he said.
The problems from the watchdog come as Mayor Scott has a dilemma with the city’s top prosecutor. Ivan Bates, Baltimore’s City State’s Attorney, severed ties with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, MONSE.
Citing information sharing problems, Bates cut ties with MONSE in late 2025 and said his prosecutors had been kept in the dark about services and information provided by MONSE to witnesses and victims of crime. Without the information, Bates said criminal cases could be in jeopardy due to disclosure rules.
Bates launched an independent legal review of his concerns and the findings backed up his decision to cut ties. The Office of Public Defender issued a statement and echoed Bates’ concerns, adding their clients’ rights have been impacted.
Mayor Scott launched his own independent review, which came back in support of his programs and called Bates’ concerns “rhetorically compelling, but legally misplaced.”
“Any conclusion that the [State’s Attorney’s Office] must terminate its partnership with MONSE is neither legally required nor factually justified,” wrote Tara Barnes, a former city prosecutor who is now managing partner at the Baltimore civil litigation firm Rollins, Smalkin, Richards & Mackie.
When asked if this issue would end up getting resolved in court, Mayor Scott brushed off the notion.
“I think our review is pretty straightforward, An independent legal expert who is a former state’s attorney, found that the claims do not hold water. But I’ll say to you the same thing I’ve been saying since the beginning. I disagree with the State’s Attorney’s decision to walk away from the coalition. I think it’s motivated by politics and not facts,” he said. “Our work will not be interrupted. We will continue, and anything else that happens, happens.”
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