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Biden-Appointed Massachusetts Prosecutor Leaked DOJ Information And Attended Democratic Fundraiser, Ethics Probe Finds

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Biden-Appointed Massachusetts Prosecutor Leaked DOJ Information And Attended Democratic Fundraiser, Ethics Probe Finds


Topline

Two federal investigations released Wednesday found progressive Massachusetts-based U.S. attorney Rachael Rollins violated federal law by attending a Democratic event with First Lady Jill Biden and provided dirt on a candidate in a local election to the Boston Globe, one day after the Biden appointee resigned from her position.

Key Facts

A report released by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel found Rollins committed “among the most egregious transgressions” of the federal Hatch Act—which governs federal employees’ political activities—the office “has ever investigated,” including violations that threaten to “erode public confidence in the integrity of federal law enforcement actions.”

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Rollins—who announced plans Tuesday to resign by the end of the week—allegedly violated the act by leaking sensitive DOJ material to the Globe about a potential federal investigation into then-interim Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden over “potential misconduct,” as Hayden was campaigning in the 2022 DA race—Rollins supported Hayden’s opponent Ricardo Arroyo, according to the report.

A separate report by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General found Rollins texted a Globe reporter saying her office did not know she was speaking with the outlet, and to attribute her comments as “sources close to the Rollins Administration.”

The OSC report alleges Rollins also violated the Hatch Act by attending a Democratic fundraiser in July 2022 with Jill Biden at a private home in the suburban town of Andover, Massachusetts, and later claimed on Twitter she had “approval” to attend, even though she never received it.

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Rollins also received automatic monthly campaign contributions from her Suffolk County DA race, even after she was sworn in as a federal attorney, collecting nearly $600 from seven donors between January 2022 and September 2022, according to the report.

Chief Critic

In a statement, Rollins’ attorney Michael Bromwich told Forbes both reports “need to be put in context,” and that most of the allegations against her “amount to minor process fouls,” adding even though she could have challenged the allegations, she decided the “better course” of action would be to step down “before it overwhelmed her office and DOJ.”

Key Background

President Joe Biden nominated Rollins in July 2021, after she served as the first Black female district attorney in Suffolk County, which includes Boston and several other nearby cities. Rollins was narrowly confirmed five months later in a split Senate vote that came down to a tie-breaker by Vice President Kamala Harris. She has been heavily scrutinized by Senate Republicans during her time as the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, leading to demands led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) for a DOJ investigation into potential violations of the Hatch Act, including by attending a Democratic fundraiser and using a government vehicle to travel to the event.

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Contra

Among Senate Republicans’ concerns was her previous pledge as the Suffolk County DA not to prosecute 15 crimes including shoplifting, resisting arrest and drug possession. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) labeled her “radical” and urged senators not to confirm “prosecutors who endanger the very communities they’re supposed to serve.”

Further Reading

US attorney in Massachusetts leaked sensitive information to journalist to influence political campaign and lied under oath, federal reports say (CNN)



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Massachusetts

We asked, you answered: Your favorite hot chocolate spots in Massachusetts

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We asked, you answered: Your favorite hot chocolate spots in Massachusetts


A cup of cocoa is a sweet treat and hand warmer all in one. And on a cold day in Boston — especially amid the holiday season — there’s nothing better to accompany you through the streets.

We asked WBUR readers and listeners where they like to grab a cup of hot chocolate. (We asked WBUR staffers, too, and you can find out their responses by signing up for one of our newsletters with this link before Dec. 31.)

Responses included chocolatiers, bakeries and cafes in Boston and far beyond it. But there was one clear fan favorite. Here are your top spots, plus a few honorable mentions.

Dark hot chocolate from L.A. Burdick in Harvard Square. (Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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Your top favorites

L.A. Burdick

Boston, Cambridge and Brookline

More than 50% of respondents said L.A. Burdick was their favorite place to grab hot chocolate in the area. L.A. Burdick’s thick, rich hot chocolate is made with milk and blended with dark, milk, white or spicy dark chocolate. Readers say it’s a decadent, European-style drinking chocolate, almost like drinking a melted chocolate bar.

“The cocoa is of incredibly high quality, and they make it with whole milk, which is very rich and creamy,” said Emily Bono . “They have their own cocoa blends, which are great, but also a variety of single source options that illustrate just how diverse chocolate can be.”

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“In addition to tasting like heaven, we once put a leftover half-cup in the refrigerator overnight, and the next morning it had set into excellent chocolate pudding,” Lori Gayle shared.

Flour Bakery

Ten locations across Boston and Cambridge

Readers say they love the sweet, velvety hot chocolate at Flour Bakery. You can grab a cup of this cocoa all over Boston and Cambridge (they’ll even be popping up on the Common this summer). And for 50 cents extra, Flour will make your hot chocolate “fiery” with a dash of cayenne pepper.

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“The cayenne and chocolate combination is rich, creamy, not too sweet and just a little addictive,” Kalli Catcott shared.

Kakawa Chocolate House

173 Essex St, Salem

Kakawa Chocolate House’s Salem shop is its first and only location in New England. (They’ve got three others in New Mexico.) Cori B. says their authentic sipping chocolate comes with a variety of spices you can add, like cinnamon, ginger, mint and cayenne. Dominique Hayes added that the “wonderful variety” is “all very yummy.”

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Sweetie’s in Roslindale

48 Corinth St., Roslindale

Sweetie’s primarily sells ice cream, but you might want to visit for the hot chocolate, too. Kris Liberman shared its “rich and cream, with a choice of toppings.” There are also dairy and non-dairy options for your drink, and Leah Boylan says Sweetie’s offers imaginative cocoa flavors (think tahini dark chocolate) and tasty add-ins, like flame-broiled marshmallows, ice cream and whipped cream.

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Other honorable mentions…



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Massachusetts

State police say Friday’s storm caused 200 crashes across Massachusetts

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State police say Friday’s storm caused 200 crashes across Massachusetts


State police say Friday’s storm caused 200 crashes across Massachusetts – CBS Boston

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State Police say they responded to 200 crashes on Friday across Massachusetts due to the snowstorm.

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Dangerousness hearing held for Taunton man in Fall River after Massachusetts, Rhode Island State Police make trafficking arrest involving Bristol, Plymouth, RI counties

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Dangerousness hearing held for Taunton man in Fall River after Massachusetts, Rhode Island State Police make trafficking arrest involving Bristol, Plymouth, RI counties


A dangerousness hearing was held Friday for a Bristol County man after a drug trafficking investigation led to his arrest.

According to Massachusetts State Police, during May and June of this year, members of the Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team – South initiated an investigation into narcotics trafficking. Intelligence revealed that 33-year-old Jason Hodo of Taunton was distributing trafficking quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in Rhode Island and throughout Plymouth and Bristol Counties in Massachusetts. Investigators completed extensive traditional and covert surveillance, record checks, and intelligence analysis. The investigation led to warrants being sought and granted to search for all controlled substances at all locations related to Hodo.

In June, executing officers followed Hodo in his vehicle after he departed the Rhode Island location and drove to a Taunton gas station. Hodo was detained, searched, and arrested after amounts of fentanyl and cocaine were located. Members then executed the “knock and announce” search warrants without incident at locations in both states.

The searches in Massachusetts led to the seizure of approximately 528 grams of fentanyl, 206 grams of cocaine, and nearly $22,000 from Hodo’s person and vehicle. Hodo was eventually transported to State Police-Middleboro for booking on charges related to Trafficking Class A and Class B Substances.

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A simultaneous search of the Rhode Island location by Rhode Island State Police revealed the following: two firearms loaded with high-capacity magazines, approximately 12 grams of fentanyl, nearly $19,000, several high value bars of gold, jewelry, and a diamond/gold chain with receipt for $103,000.

Previously in Fall River Superior Court, Hodo pled not guilty at his arraignment and was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday.

On Friday, also in Fall River Superior Court, dangerousness was taken under advisement with Hodo still held without bail.

His next scheduled court appearance is a pre-trial conference in February.

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