The Associated Press reported Friday that Miller is keeping the documents sealed for two weeks to give CIETC officials time to seek a court injunction to prevent access to the records.
CIETC came under scrutiny last spring after a state audit showed the agency's top executives received at least $1.5 million in public funds to boost their bonuses and salaries over 18 months.
The scandal, which reverberated in Congress because federal funds were involved, has resulted in a criminal investigation, the forced resignations of three top CIETC administrators and the firing of two top Iowa Workforce Development officials by Gov. Tom Vilsack.
The records temporarily sealed by Miller describe $91,281 in legal expenses incurred by CIETC between May and July.
It's possible the legal bills explain precisely how the agency, which had no reported legal expenses in 2005, has averaged $1,200 per day in legal fees during the past eight months.
In August, CIETC sought reimbursement of its legal costs by sending copies of those bills to Iowa Workforce Development, the state agency that provides CIETC with much of its money. The state wanted copies of the bills so it could be sure the agency was not using state and federal money to challenge the state's demand that CIETC repay the excessive compensation paid to its executives.
Earlier this month, the Des Moines Register requested access to the records but the attorney general's office stated it would give CIETC time to seek a court injunction because CIETC's attorney had previously indicated that he would challenge the records' release.
CIETC lawyer Jonathan Wilson provided Workforce Development a letter along with the legal bills in August, insisting that the records were protected by attorney-client privilege.
According to the Associated Press report, most of the billing records that Wilson says should be kept secret were generated by the private law firm where he works.
That firm charges CIETC up to $210 an hour and is responsible for about $267,000 in legal fees, all of which is expected to be paid by taxpayers.
The attorney general's office notified CIETC of the newspaper's request on Wednesday and told Wilson that Workforce Development believed the records were public documents under the Iowa Open Records Act. "Those documents substantiate payments using public funds," the attorney general's office said.
Kelly Taylor, the Iowa Workforce Development supervisor who unearthed the CIETC payroll scandal, reviewed the CIETC bills to make sure state money would not be spent inappropriately. But Taylor said Wednesday the records were somewhat vague and included blacked-out sections that make it difficult to tell whether the expenses should be reimbursed.
Taylor said he ultimately rejected just four to five hours of legal work, so the bulk of the $91,281 costs were approved for payment.
"There is so much covered by the attorney-client privilege that much of the detail regarding what exactly was done is left out or blacked out on the bill," Taylor said. "My understanding from the attorney general's office is that I cannot ask for more (documentation) than what I have seen."
When it comes to the expenditure of public funds, attorney-client privilege should be the exception rather than the rule.
Even in cases where there is no wrongdoing, the perception exists.
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