Michelle Henry reflects back on her time as attorney general

Fresh off a two-year stint as Pennsylvania attorney general, Michelle Henry is already immersed in her latest role as the commonwealth’s inspector general, where she begins work on Tuesday.

Henry, a career prosecutor whom Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed to lead the Office of State Inspector General in December, spoke with City & State about her work leading the Office of Attorney General, why she didn’t run for a full term last year, and how she’s approaching her new job.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. 

What was the most rewarding part of your tenure as attorney general?

For me, it was really being able to help Pennsylvanians in different ways. 

If you look at our Criminal Division, which is our largest division, we were out there every day to get justice for the victims in a variety of ways, like helping victims of human trafficking get their self-worth back by removing them from a horrible situation. Our Public Protection Division, which is part of our Bureau of Consumer Protection, represents Pennsylvanians in communities that have been harmed … There are so many different ways to help Pennsylvanians, ranging from students at learning institutions who are let down by a school administration, to consumers who are trying to buy tickets to a concert or book a trip with their families and are experiencing hidden fees that break their budget, to looking out for seniors who are getting scammed in more sophisticated ways every single day. 

Are there any cases or initiatives that stand out to you? 

One of the things I’ve always been proud of about this office is that we were never afraid to take on the big fights to go after the big companies, the big organizations. If we see a wrong, we roll up our sleeves and we take it on.

Right now, we’re taking on some social media giants who are looking the other way and neglecting our kids’ mental health, and putting money ahead of the harm that they bring to children. Our human trafficking section – which we launched earlier this year – involves collaborating with law enforcement in uncovering these operations and going after not just the traffickers but the commercial sex buyers that drive up the demand. 

What are some of the key issues you think will also be focal points for your successor, Attorney General Dave Sunday?

There are a lot of issues out there that we’re working on that I know will continue to be worked on. One in particular that we’ve been dealing with a lot recently is protecting health care systems from for-profit entities that value dollars over people, and continuing to work to make sure that people have the health care facilities that they need in their communities. 

In our gun violence section, continuing to go after illegal guns and ghost guns to bring down the violence are just two of many. 

You stepped into this role after then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro won the gubernatorial election. What drove your thought process to not run for a term yourself?

I love the work. I’ve been a public servant my entire career. Running for office has never appealed to me. And I love the work that I’ve done. I love the people that I’ve worked with, I’m committed to the causes that we’ve worked on, and that’s really what drives me. 

Looking at your time in this office and your prosecutor background in general – how do you see those skills translating over to the state inspector general’s office? 

Prior to joining the attorney general's office, I was a prosecutor for close to 22 years.At the root of all of that – whether you’re bringing a civil case or a criminal case … is a good investigation. I think that the skills and the experience that I’ve learned as a prosecutor and here at the AG’s office will serve me well, because I will be working with investigators who are looking at and investigating fraud and abuse within the commonwealth agencies. 

This is a really important piece of state government, and we owe it to the citizens of this state to be on the lookout for fraud and abuse.

Do you have any particular priorities as inspector general?

I think it’s difficult to predict what investigations will need to be done, but I certainly know that I’ll go in there with the goal of making sure that the investigations are being done at the highest level. 

How did the transition process play out with AG Sunday? 

It was incredibly smooth. I’ve known Dave for many, many years as a fellow prosecutor, and so I feel confident that I am passing the baton, so to speak, of a good office to him, and it will be in good hands.