BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards says there is nothing "untoward" or "improper" about his administration's legal contract with one of his political supporters to represent the state of Louisiana in litigation against oil and gas companies over coastal wetland loss.

During a media briefing in his Capitol office Wednesday, Edwards accused Attorney General Jeff Landry of fabricating politically motivated reasons to reject the contact that his administration signed with Natchitoches attorney Taylor Townsend, a former lawmaker and top fundraiser for the governor.

A recent letter from Landry's chief deputy counsel said the contract was "unacceptable on multiple grounds" and called it "vague and overly broad."

Edwards claimed Landry either doesn't understand the contract or intentionally misrepresented it.

The governor said his administration picked experienced, qualified attorneys to work on the litigation.