Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell got a big boost in her office’s funding in this year’s state budget. While lawmakers say that money is to help Campbell take the Trump administration to court, Auditor Diana DiZoglio is charging that it’s meant to reward Campbell for resisting her bid to audit the Legislature.
Ten months ago, voters overwhelmingly authorized DiZoglio to audit the state House and Senate, and legislative leaders maintain that probe runs counter to the state Constitution’s separation of powers.
Campbell has declined to represent DiZoglio in court. She said on Boston Public Radio this week that she’s still waiting for DiZoglio to provide the information her office’s attorneys would need to formulate a legal argument.
Campbell said DiZoglio has described the scope of her intended audit in different ways at various points. She said she’s willing to appoint a special assistant attorney general to handle the case, but DiZoglio hasn’t offered the details they’d need to do so.
“A judge would laugh us out of court and, frankly, say, ‘Shame on you for not coming with a full and complete picture,’” Campbell said Tuesday. “So we’re waiting for that.”
DiZoglio called into Boston Public Radio with a rebuttal Thursday, dismissing Campbell’s arguments as “a delay tactic.”
“The attorney general is working with legislative leaders to block the audit that the commonwealth voted for to the tune of 72%,” DiZoglio said. “The attorney general has been rewarded quite heavily in her budget this budget cycle.”
The state budget lawmakers approved this summer gave Campbell’s office an extra $9 million over last year, a 12% increase that top Democrats in the Legislature have tied to Campbell’s lawsuits against the federal government. Funding for DiZoglio’s office grew by about 3%.
“The Attorney General’s Office is uniquely situated to defend Massachusetts residents against unprecedented threats to their rights, economy, and the rule of law,” a Campbell spokesperson said in a statement to GBH News. “The legislature’s decision to increase our budget was an acknowledgement that we are meeting this moment and to support us in the fight ahead. To date, AG Campbell has filed more than 30 lawsuits and protected billions of dollars in federal funding from illegal attack.”
In April, when the House unveiled its budget plan, Speaker Ron Mariano said the additional money would equip Campbell “to push back against any unilateral, unconstitutional actions from the Trump administration, ensuring that our residents are protected.”
Senate President Karen Spilka said in May that senators wanted to “arm the attorney general with every dollar that she needs to fight the lawlessness of the Trump administration.” A Spilka spokesperson told GBH News Thursday that she “is proud that the Legislature is providing the resources” Campbell needs to “protect Massachusetts families” through her lawsuits against the Trump administration.
DiZoglio said top lawmakers are “undermining the will of the people” by not implementing the audit law voters passed last year. She called that “a threat to democracy.”
She said Campbell can take her to court if the attorney general’s office is unsatisfied.
“I’m essentially calling on the attorney general to sue my office if she needs to get access to documents that she claims we’re not providing her, because I’m happy to go and meet everybody in court and to provide any documents that are needed to get this law followed,” DiZoglio said.
