The echos heard in the halls of the State House can sound a bit louder the day after one of the building’s elected officials finds himself in legal trouble.
Democratic and Republican elected officials in the State House are remaining cautious and putting off any action for now in the case of Sen. Brian A. Joyce, a Milton lawmaker whose private legal office was raided yesterday by federal authorities.
No elected officials are calling for Joyce to step down after his office was visited by the FBI and IRS, but unelected conservative activists are saying it’s time for Joyce to go one way or another.
Paul Craney from the influential conservative group Mass. Fiscal Alliance confronted Senate President Stan Rosenberg outside his office Thursday and said Democrats should begin the process to expel Joyce from the Senate, according to the State House News Service.
Craney told WGBH News after the encounter that as a public servant, Joyce is held at a higher standard of conduct and should resign or face expulsion.
“It’s time for him to pass the baton and it’s also time for Rosenberg to essentially tell his colleagues that this behavior is not tolerated in this building,” Craney said.
Rosenberg said talk of forcing Joyce out is premature. The 18-year veteran lawmaker has not been charged with any crime. In a statement from his attorney Wednesday, Joyce maintained his innocence and said he has been cooperating with law enforcement.
Meanwhile, Senate Republican Leader Bruce Tarr and Gov. Charlie Baker say it’s a serious matter, but the investigation should continue.
To be sure, there’s an awful lot of smoke, but little visible fire.
“We’re not comfortable rushing to full judgement beyond that and believe that people are innocent until proven guilty, even if it looks otherwise,” said Pam Wilmot, the executive director of the government transparency advocacy group Common Cause Massachusetts.
The issue now is what Joyce can and should do in the face of mounting pressure to step aside.
“Right now, the main issue for him should be a soul-searching examination of the situation to determine whether or not he can continue to represent the constituents in his district and serve as a member of the Senate,” knowing that the allegations will capture the attention of citizens and the media, Tarr said.
Tarr wants the Feds to be as forthcoming as possible with information.
“We don’t know what the reason for the raid was. We don’t know what the underlying allegations were that allowed the federal agencies to secure a warrant. We don’t believe that there have been any charges made. It seems to me that we’re at the beginning of a very intense investigatory process and we need to remain focused on that process,” Tarr said.
Tarr said the Senate should defer to the investigators and that since the criminal justice system is built around due process, they will act when and if there is reason to.
“We are not saying by doing that they we will not act if things come to light that require us to act,” Tarr said.
