Massachusetts US attorney to resign amid Justice Dept ethics probe
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[May 17, 2023]
By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins will
resign her post by Friday, her lawyer said on Tuesday, after the
prosecutor became the subject of a wide-ranging ethics investigation by
the Justice Department inspector general's office.
Rollins, the first Black woman to serve as the top federal prosecutor in
Massachusetts, is a prominent figure in the "progressive prosecutor"
movement that supports policies designed to eliminate racial disparities
in the justice system.
"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," her attorney Michael Bromwich said in a
statement to Reuters.
"After the dust settles and she resigns, Rachael will make herself
available to answer questions," Bromwich added.
Her resignation comes after a months-long investigation by Justice
Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz - launched at the urging
of a Republican senator - after Rollins last July attended a Democratic
National Committee fundraising event in Massachusetts with U.S. first
lady Jill Biden.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/17/images/ads/current/rohlfs_sda_PROMGRAD_2023.png)
The investigation later broadened to examine her travel and her use of
her personal cellphone for official business, among other things,
Reuters previously reported.
The results of the investigation have not yet been made public, though
her attorney told Reuters last month that Rollins was in the process of
reviewing and providing comments on a final draft of the investigative
report.
Rollins is one of the 93 U.S. attorneys appointed by the president and
confirmed by the Senate to serve as the lead federal prosecutors in
various regions around the country.
Bromwich announced her decision to resign her post not long after
Rollins met with officials in Washington at the Justice Department on
Tuesday. Bromwich said he was unable to discuss the report's findings
due to a non-disclosure agreement.
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![](../images/051723PIX/news_p99.jpg)
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael
Rollins, with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and acting Boston Police
Commissioner Gregory Long, speaks to reporters about the march
through Boston by supporters of the white nationalist group Patriot
Front during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, in Boston,
Massachusetts, U.S., July 5, 2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/17/images/ads/current/graue_lda_preowned_Buickencore_011323.jpg)
The inspector general's investigation began at the urging of
Republican Senator Tom Cotton after the Boston Herald photographed
Rollins arriving in a government vehicle at the house in Andover,
Massachusetts where the Democratic fundraising event was held.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent government
internal watchdog entity, last August launched a parallel probe into
whether Rollins violated a law called the Hatch Act that restricts
political activity by federal government employees.
Cotton was one of the leading Senate Republicans to oppose her
nomination by President Joe Biden. Rollins was narrowly confirmed by
the Senate in December 2021 after Vice President Kamala Harris cast
the tie-breaking vote.
"I warned Democratic senators that Rachael Rollins wasn't only a
pro-criminal ideologue, but also had a history of poor judgment and
ethical lapses," Cotton said in a statement on Tuesday.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland had vowed when he assumed his
post as the nation's top law enforcement official to protect the
Justice Department from partisan influence. The controversy
surrounding Rollins has threatened to undermine that pledge.
The Massachusetts U.S. attorney's office in the past decade has
taken on high-profile prosecutions including mobster James "Whitey"
Bulger, the Boston Marathon bomber and a probe into wealthy parents'
use of bribery to secure their children's admission into elite
universities.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Will Dunham)
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