U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who has announced her resignation, is accused of trying to influence the Suffolk County district attorney’s race last year.
In his first statement since two federal investigations into Rachael Rollins' conduct as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts were released, her lawyer issued a statement Wednesday arguing much of what's laid out against her consists of "minor process fouls."
Rollins is accused of, among other things, using non-public information to influence the election of her successor as Suffolk County's district attorney, soliciting and accepting free Celtics tickets for herself and others, attending a Democratic party fundraiser featuring first lady Jill Biden over ethics advice and, at first, giving false testimony to federal investigators.
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A day before the release of the reports from the Department of Justice's inspector general and office of special counsel, Rollins announced through her lawyer, former inspector general Michael Bromwich, she would be resigning on Friday, saying she didn't want to become a distraction.
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Asked for a statement about the reports Wednesday, Bromwich said context was needed:
I think the report needs to be put in context….Most of the allegations amount to minor process fouls…Though Ms. Rollins could have raised many facts and arguments in connection with these issues, she had no interest in litigating them any further. She believed the better course was to step down and end the matter before it overwhelmed her office and DOJ.
On Tuesday, in announcing her pending resignation, Bromwich had said that Rollins planned to take questions at some point after her resignation. Here is that statement:
This is to announce that Rachael Rollins, the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, has decided to resign her position as United States Attorney. She will be submitting a letter of resignation to President Biden by close of business on Friday. Rachael has been profoundly honored to serve as U.S. Attorney over the past 16 months and is incredibly proud of all her office has accomplished during that limited time, especially in the areas of gun violence and civil rights. She is optimistic that the important work she started will continue but understands that her presence has become a distraction. The work of the office and the Department of Justice is far too important to be overshadowed by anything else.
After the dust settles and she resigns, Rachael will make herself available to answer questions. Until then, she reminds the public of the vitally important work the office does and thanks her colleagues for their service to the Commonwealth and our Nation.
Both reports concluded that Rollins violated federal rules, including the Hatch Act.
"We found Rollins’s conduct described throughout this report violated federal regulations, numerous DOJ policies, her Ethics Agreement, and applicable law, and fell far short of the standards of professionalism and judgment that the Department should expect of any employee, much less a U.S. Attorney," the inspector general's report concluded.
In a letter to the president referring findings of violations for action, Special Counsel Henry Kerner wrote, "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."
Read the reports here:
