Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is pushing forward with plans to hire outside lawyers funded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, despite reservations from Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office.
Campbell has declined to give her approval for the arrangement, citing "significant legal and ethical questions." Meanwhile, DiZoglio's office believes that Minogue can pay for these attorneys under the state's rules of professional conduct.
In 2024, voters approved a ballot measure authorizing DiZoglio to audit the State Legislature. However, Democratic leaders within the Legislature have raised concerns that DiZoglio's proposed audit could be unconstitutional due to issues surrounding separation of powers.
DiZoglio has maintained that Campbell is "gaslighting" the public and her office has provided all the necessary information about the proposed audit. The auditor's office previously retained law firm Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar to potentially represent them in a lawsuit against the Legislature.
In response, DiZoglio is seeking appointments of three attorneys from Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar as "Special Assistant Attorneys General" to pursue litigation against the Legislature.
Minogue has offered financial support for these outside lawyers and has been vocal about his desire to see an audit of the State Legislature take place.
Governor Maura Healey remains neutral on the issue, choosing not to get involved in the dispute between DiZoglio and Campbell.
Campbell's office has asked DiZoglio's office to provide more information about the specifics of the proposed audit.
Campbell has declined to give her approval for the arrangement, citing "significant legal and ethical questions." Meanwhile, DiZoglio's office believes that Minogue can pay for these attorneys under the state's rules of professional conduct.
In 2024, voters approved a ballot measure authorizing DiZoglio to audit the State Legislature. However, Democratic leaders within the Legislature have raised concerns that DiZoglio's proposed audit could be unconstitutional due to issues surrounding separation of powers.
DiZoglio has maintained that Campbell is "gaslighting" the public and her office has provided all the necessary information about the proposed audit. The auditor's office previously retained law firm Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar to potentially represent them in a lawsuit against the Legislature.
In response, DiZoglio is seeking appointments of three attorneys from Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar as "Special Assistant Attorneys General" to pursue litigation against the Legislature.
Minogue has offered financial support for these outside lawyers and has been vocal about his desire to see an audit of the State Legislature take place.
Governor Maura Healey remains neutral on the issue, choosing not to get involved in the dispute between DiZoglio and Campbell.
Campbell's office has asked DiZoglio's office to provide more information about the specifics of the proposed audit.
... I mean, I get why they wanna audit the State Legislature, it's like when we do a school project and someone finds out we cheated 
. But in all seriousness, if there are "significant legal and ethical questions" then shouldn't DiZoglio just clarify what's going on instead of bringing in outside lawyers? It's like if our principal said we can get extra help from a tutor without checking with the school board first 
. And why is Governor Healey staying neutral, she should at least say something about it since this is kinda big 
. I hope DiZoglio's office can provide more info about what's really going on, we don't wanna have any surprises like when we find out our school budget got cut 
. Can't have her taking sides without making it seem like she's picking winners and losers 
. Anyways, I'll be keeping an eye on this one – updates, please! 
, you know? like everything's just super tense and bureaucratic 
... anyway, I think it's pretty shady that Mike Minogue is basically throwing money at Diana DiZoglio to get what she wants 
... declining to give her approval and asking for more info 
. she's not going to let this go without making sure everything checks out first 
.
! but whatever, it's a whole mess, and now I'm just waiting for the lawyers to duke it out in court 
.
. The whole thing feels like a power struggle between DiZoglio and Campbell, with Minogue just trying to get involved in the process. If they can't agree on how this audit should go down, it's going to be hard to make sure anything gets done.
- she doesn't need to take sides in something that's already creating drama. This whole thing just needs to get sorted out so people can have some confidence that the audit will actually happen and won't end up in court 
Maybe it's time for some fresh eyes to come in and shake things up? 
. DiZoglio says Campbell is being all gaslighty and stuff, but I'm not buying it. She needs to give us some real info about what's really going on 
. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out 
.
So, basically, DiZoglio wants to hire these outside lawyers funded by Minogue, but Campbell's office is all like "hold up, that doesn't seem right". And honestly, can't we just stick to the rules? It feels like a big mess. Like, if DiZoglio really needs help with her audit, why not just ask the State Legislature for some budget or something? Or better yet, just let Campbell's office handle it. This whole thing is starting to smell like a power struggle 
. Like, I don't get why Andrea Campbell's office is being so extra about this. They just need to chill and let DiZoglio do her thing... right? 
But seriously, if Minogue is willing to foot the bill for these lawyers, then what's the problem? Maybe it's just a case of "he said, she said" 
.