BATON ROUGE — When President Donald Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry announced the head of Louisiana's government would become a special U.S. envoy to Greenland, questions immediately turned to whether he could legally do that under the state constitution.

"There's nothing that clearly answers this question," lawyer Franz Borghardt said. "For those of us who don't really care, I don't really think he's running afoul of the law."

Louisiana law prohibits government employees from holding more than one public office at the same time. Attorneys general over the years have offered different opinions on what restrictions should stand.

When Landry was attorney general in 2019, he opined that a woman serving as an unpaid auxiliary police officer in Estherwood could hold the post after being elected to the village council. The key point was that the position was unpaid.

Current Attorney General Liz Murrill rejected dual state and federal officeholding by a veterinarian who wanted to perform duties for the Louisiana Racing Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The law "prohibits holding any employment in state government and any employment in the government of the United States simultaneously. Whether the employment is part-time or full-time does not affect the applicability of the prohibition."

Landry believes he can hold the post — a special envoy to explore the U.S.'s possible acquisition of Greenland — because he would serve as a volunteer.

"The president called me and asked me if I would help our great Secretary of State Marco Rubio," Landry said Monday.

Louisiana leaders in Washington, D.C., responded with mixed reviews.

"Louisianans expect their elected officials to focus fully on the jobs they were elected to," Congressman Troy Carter said.

Congressman Cleo Fields also responded, saying the appointment was a good thing.

"I do not believe Governor Landry would have accepted this appointment if he thought it would interfere with his responsibilities," Fields said.

As for those who live in the state, political analyst James Hartman predicted most residents would back the move.

"They will be flattered that a president who is highly popular in Louisiana has selected our relatively popular governor for an important position," Hartman said.

Late Monday, the White House posted comments from President Trump saying Gov. Landry first approached him, asking to be appointed to the Greenland Special Envoy position.

The appointment has angered officials overseas. Leaders of Denmark and Greenland called for an "explanation" about Landry's appointment, and they insisted that the U.S. wouldn't take over Greenland and demanded respect for their territorial integrity.