U.S. Attorney General Rachael Rollins, a soft on crime Democrat for whom Vice President Kamala Harris personally cast a tie breaking vote twice to secure the position in Massachusetts, attempted to user her powerful position to meddle in a Boston election for district attorney to favor her preferred candidate, according to the Department of Justice.
Details of the probe that provoked Rollins’ resignation yesterday have been released, revealing that she stands accused of significant misconduct in a report that the Associated Press calls “the most scathing public condemnation in recent years” of an official with her degree of prominence:
The report said Rollins lied under oath to investigators by falsely claiming she was not the anonymous law enforcement source in a news article, before later admitting to it. In December, the inspector general’s office referred the allegation to the department for a possible prosecution for false statements, but officials declined prosecution, according to the report.
Special Counsel Henry Kerner, meanwhile, said in a letter to President Joe Biden that Rollins’ Hatch Act violations were among “most egregious transgressions” of the law that his agency had ever investigated.
On a less grandiose level, the report also reveals Rollins both solicited and accepted 30 free tickets to a Boston Celtics game and accepted payment from a sports and entertainment agency for luxury hotel stays and flights.
Devastating report from DOJ inspector general on Massachustts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins.
Horowitz found she lied repeatedly about leaking nonpublic info to press and tried to use leaks to influence primary election for an ally. https://t.co/TH8rQAc8oo pic.twitter.com/fnS8ddiZz8
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) May 17, 2023
The AP reports that Rollins also used her personal cellphone for government business, continued accepting donations to her district attorney campaign account despite being appointed Attorney General, and attended a political fundraiser with first lady Jill Biden, which the outlet adds is “contrary to the advice Rollins was given and without proper Justice Department approval.”
During her 2018 race for District Attorney, Rollins promised to decriminalize shoplifting, drug possession, wanton or malicious destruction of property, drug possession with intent to distribute, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and resisting arrest.
BREAKING: US Attorney appointed by Biden resigning this week after getting caught committing multiple “major ethical violations”
Rachael Rollins is the 1st black woman to serve as US Attorney for Massachusetts
She is also the 1st to resign in disgracehttps://t.co/P40BaEFTAL
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) May 16, 2023
Breitbart notes that “Rollins was praised by progressives for her approach to law enforcement” and that Harris “twice had to cast a tie-breaking vote for her nomination to move forward,” potentially signalling the key role she played for the Biden administration until only this week.
