No big surprise here: the office of the attorney general has filed a motion asking a federal judge to quash a subpoena for Mayor Vince Gray to testify about his role in the long-passed D.C. Lottery contract brouhaha.

Former CFO contracting officer Eric Payne is suing the city, alleging that he was fired for resisting undue political pressure in awarding the lucrative lotto contract. He’s also subpoenaed CFO Nat Gandhi and Councilmembers Jack Evans and Jim Graham to testify.

The OAG’s rational against having the mayor deposed for Payne’s lawsuit is 1) the information Payne presumably wants from Gray’s testimony can be found elsewhere and 2) Gray has immunity from being compelled to discuss his “legislative duties” while he was council chairman.

“Even plaintiff’s veiled allegation of impropriety in the D.C. Council’s contract approval process does not justify a fishing expedition in the legislative pond,” some frustrated wordsmith from the AG’s office wrote in a briefing.