Former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins is distancing herself from her own Democratic Party, which she accuses of hypocrisy.
“I have been very disappointed in the Democratic party. And not just because I resigned from Office. Based on a lot that I saw while in office. Lots of hypocracy [sic] and inaction in that party,” Rollins said in a post on X Friday afternoon.
Rollins was responding to another X user who had asked “Do you still consider yourself a Democrat?”
Rollins didn’t provide a yes or no answer but said that she was independent, meaning unaffiliated with any party, before running for office.
She said that Democrats liked to level accusations that President Trump gives “special treatment” to people he likes, all while they “were doing it themselves. Outrageous. And I told [Biden-era] AG [Merrick] Garland as such.”
“Part of why I DOJ [Department of Justice] disliked me so much was bc I would not shut up about the special treatment Hunter Biden was getting from DOJ. His sweetheart deal WITH NO JAIL TIME allowed him to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses & resolve a felony gun charge through a diversion program,” she wrote.
Rollins bowed out of her role as U.S. Attorney in May 2023 amid two scathing federal reports alleging ethics violations.
She went on to a six-figure job at Roxbury Community College before then running for her old job as Suffolk DA but placed last in the three-way Democratic primary. Incumbent DA Kevin Hayden, who had replaced Rollins when she took on the federal prosecutor role, garnered 20,000 more votes than Rollins, and placed first in all four cities in the county.
The race was a nasty one due to animosity between Hayden and Rollins. Rollins, then already the U.S. Attorney, had allegedly meddled in the 2022 election when Hayden was battling her preferred candidate, then-Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo. Her behind-the-scenes doings were heavily featured in the federal ethics probes.
— Flint McColgan
No internet, seating for journalists at MassDems election celebration
You may not have known it, but many of the journalists covering the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s election celebration in Boston on Tuesday night were left flustered and nearly panicked as internet and even cellular reception became virtually inaccessible as polls closed.
MassDems held an election night celebration at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston for all Democratic statewide candidates in Tuesday’s general election. Media outlets were there to cover the results and the subsequent victory speeches by candidates.
But just as polls were closing at 8:00 p.m., in part due to the large influx of event attendees, internet access was effectively cut off for everyone. Journalists scrambled to get live election results from the Associated Press, only found online, and send over reports to their respective media outlets. MassDems and the hotel relegated members of the media to the free, public WiFi that would be slowed down by hundreds of guests using it at once.
Nobody from the hotel or MassDems made it a priority to assist complaining media members with the issue or provide reporters with an expectedly stronger internet connection reserved for employees or paying guests.
The large influx of event attendees also led to cellular reception being rendered ineffective, as reporters at the hotel could not communicate with their editors to provide any relevant or timely updates over the phone.
In addition to the internet issues, while the statewide political party ensured adequate room and seating for numerous television stations, all other journalists were left with no options but to either stand for the hours-long event or to find seating on the floor. This was later alleviated for some reporters by staff from Gov. Maura Healey’s office.
Thankfully, as the result of collaboration among media members, various pockets of internet and cell service were eventually discovered throughout the main floor of the hotel, allowing the news to flow freely once again.
— Tim Dunn
