re: US Attorney for Massachusetts Resigns Over Egregious Hatch Act Violations

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Rollins attended the fundraiser featuring First Lady Jill Biden in Andover, Massachusetts, on July 14, 2022, after being driven in a government vehicle by a subordinate employee in her office, according to the report from Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general.

The federal Hatch Act typically limits political activities of federal employees.

While investigating that incident, Horowitz discovered that Rollins secretly disclosed sensitive information to the Boston Herald about a potential department investigation of interim Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden. Rollins may have released the information before the Sept. 6, 2022, Democratic primary to help candidate Ricardo Arroyo beat Hayden, according to Horowitz. Rollins had been district attorney until becoming U.S. attorney in January 2022.

Rollins allegedly testified falsely under oath during the inspector general’s investigation about the newspaper leak, according to the report. She admitted providing the information during later testimony, after being confronted with texts showing she had been a source for the reporter, according to the report.

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Rollins’ departure under a cloud of scandal has repercussions that extend far beyond Massachusetts. Biden and senior Senate Democrats used significant political capital to muscle Rollins’ nomination through a divided Senate in December 2021. She was confirmed on a 51-50 vote that required Vice President Kamala Harris to twice break ties.

Before being tapped as a U.S. attorney, Rollins was a prominent member of a series of progressive district attorneys who won local elections in recent years on pledges to step back from strict enforcement of many criminal laws. Many of those prosecutors are now under attack from conservatives who blame such changes for rising crime rates in some cities.

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