This is super-bad. Today's Boston Globe reports that our speaker of the house is stonewalling his ethics investigation. He has apparently refused to cooperate, as in handing over his emails and documents related to conflict-of-interest questions.
Contemporary with Sen. Dianne Wilkerson's protracted disgrace — and her unwillingness to live in the same world of laws and consequences as most of us — Salvatore F. DiMasi is likely blowing up his on scandal in the making.
So far, DiMasi has refused to cooperate with a summons from the commonwealth's Ethics Commission. That's the same as not responding to a subpoena and can lead to contempt charges at the state level. Meanwhile Attorney General Martha Coakley is snooping around on her own on the same issues. The questions resolve pretty much to a single one — Did the speaker help ensure that his chums got rich on government contracts?
Some of the ancillary details include the possibility, the strong possibility, that DiMasi took meals, trips and other perks on the way. The value of any of those are the hundreds of dollars, not the many thousands alleged in the contracts, but would still absolutely violate laws.
The two-legged mice in that chamber are not screaming for his compliance. Most won't comment. The strongest statement the Globe had was about not cooperating with the investigation. House Minority Leader Brad Jones (D-20th Middlesex) squeaked,"It would be a cause for concern."
DiMasi need look for farther than the Senate to see the price of prolonged arrogance and stupidity. He needs to give it up, let the Ethics Commission do its do, and make his best explanations and defenses...now. Smarten up, Sal.
Tags: massmarrier, Massachusetts, House, DiMasi, ethics, cronyism, legislature
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