Keller @ Large: Devastating Rachael Rollins report shows why she walked away from this fight
BOSTON - When the news broke late Tuesday that US Attorney Rachael Rollins was poised to resign in connection with a probe of her activities by the Justice Department's Inspector General, we were speculating that the report must have been very serious. Rollins is not known to walk away from a fight.
Now we have confirmation of just how bad these violations were with the report's release.
The most damning finding: that Rollins illegally leaked to the press private information about cases involving Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden in an effort to help his primary challenger last fall, Ricardo Arroyo, who Rollins was backing.
Rollins then lied about her role in those leaks under oath during an interview with the Office of the Inspector General.
In a previously reported case, the IG found Rollins violated federal guidelines by attending and participating in a Democratic party fundraiser featuring First Lady Jill Biden.
Another misuse of her office - arranging to get 30 free Celtics tickets worth nearly $2,500 for young athletes and taking two for herself.
And the IG says Rollins used "poor judgment" in public comments about cases, by attending other political events and misusing her personal cell phone.
The report's conclusion: Rollins's conduct "violated federal regulations, numerous DOJ policies, her ethics agreement, and applicable law, and fell far short of the standards of professionalism and judgment that the department should expect of any employee, much less a U.S. Attorney."
This is quite a list, with quite a bit of revealing detail included in the report.
How could an experienced lawyer and politician like Rollins run so far afoul of the rules - and run her promising career into a ditch?
We'll learn more about that if and when Rollins speaks publicly. But these types of activities, such as leaking to the press and playing political games, are not uncommon within political circles.
However, there are certain positions where it's understood -- and spelled out in the rules of conduct -- that you can't do that kind of thing. And US Attorney is one of them.
