U.S. counsel for Massachusetts under President Joe Biden, Rachael Rollins, has resigned, per her counsel, after being accused of wrongdoing and lying to investigators in a Justice Department investigation.
The DOJ inspector general said in a 155-page report released on Wednesday that Rollins:
- Used her position to try to aid a candidate for district attorney “in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to create the impression publicly, before the primary election, that DOJ was or would be investigating (the candidate’s opponent) for public corruption.”
- Lied under oath to federal investigators about her involvement in that incident, and only admitted it after being shown text messages that proved her guilt.
- Accepted complimentary tickets to a Boston Celtics game, which is a violation of ethics guidelines.
- The Inspector General forwarded the matter to the Office of Special Counsel because she accepted political contributions to her campaign account after being sworn in as U.S. attorney, which may violate the law banning federal officials from engaging in partisan politics.
- Ignored ethics guidelines and showed up to a Democratic Party event hosted by Jill Biden on July 14, 2022.
“We believe that Rollins’s actions fell short of the standards of professionalism, judgment, and impartiality that the Department should expect of a U.S. Attorney,” according to the report.
Bloomberg, the famous Twitter page, shared the same incident on his Twitter account. You must check.
Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins violated federal rules and Justice Department ethics standards, the department’s internal watchdog said https://t.co/k5VrvTSjMp
— Bloomberg (@business) May 17, 2023
“She will be submitting a letter of resignation to President Biden by close of business on Friday,” Michael Bromwich, her lawyer, issued a statement that sidestepped the inspector general’s conclusions.
In addition, the statement said that Rollins “understands that her presence has become a distraction.”
“After the dust settles and she resigns, Rachael will make herself available to answer questions,” Bromwich stated.
In a separate investigation released on Wednesday, the independent Office of Special Counsel found that Rollins had broken the Hatch Act by disclosing DOJ information about the district attorney candidate she opposed and by attending a Democratic National Committee fundraiser on July 22 in her official capacity.
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Under the Hatch Act, government workers cannot use their positions to influence or disrupt elections.
“Ms. Rollins’s conduct in leaking non‐public DOJ information constitutes an extraordinary abuse of her authority and threatens to erode public confidence in the integrity of federal law enforcement actions,” the report stated.
While serving as district attorney in Boston, Rollins took a stand against prosecuting minor offenses like stealing before she was appointed federal prosecutor. She became the state’s first African-American female United States Attorney.
Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, Democrats from Massachusetts, who had advocated for Rollins’ nomination, said in a joint statement that they would honor her choice to resign.
“Rachael Rollins has for years dedicated herself to the people of Massachusetts and equal justice under the law,” they stated.