It is disappointing that Joan Vennochi spends a majority of her column (“Cahill trial: Good law, weak case,” Op-ed, March 7) outlining the misconduct of the former state treasurer, Timothy Cahill, and the importance of bringing public corruption cases, yet then questions the prosecution of him. The evidence against Cahill, including hundreds of e-mails and texts from his own campaign staff, showed that the treasurer attempted to use $1.5 million in taxpayer dollars to assist his own campaign. Cahill has now admitted that he violated our state’s ethics laws and paid a significant penalty as a result. Before we brought this case, he refused to admit he did anything wrong.
Most public corruption does not involve videotapes of cash bribes or deposits to personal bank accounts. Corruption is often more under the radar, complex, and insidious. The only way to prevent such corruption is for prosecutors to be willing to bring tough cases when the evidence supports it.
Comments
No Martha, the season f the case is that the power of the state, in the hands of a maniac attorney general, can financially crush anyone theywant.. This was such a reach. You are a pathetic excusefor a crusader for the public good. Sadly you are too arrogant apologize to the people of MA forwasting our money and too self absorbed to apologize to Mr. Cahill. You disgust me and most of the people of the Commomwealth.
Skip, you gotta be kidding...right? Well, it's got to be almost time for your milk and cookies.
And time for your chardoney
thank you for keeping various powerful constituencies honest, mrs. coakley. your work is invaluable. the writer of the letter above doesn't realize that what you do saves state citizens their taxpayer dollars by going after crooked politicians and others and keeps us safer. you are much needed, mrs coakley and the vast majority of us in this intelligent, progressive state know and appreciate it. please, keep up the great work.
Mz. Coakley, it has to be tough knowing the success or failure of your work in the end is directly related to the conditions of mindset in many a citizen as exampled above. We all learned early on, when civics was actually taught in our schools, that..."not guilty" does not always equate to "innocence". Right now, I'd say we could use a couple more of you and, having said that, have the lead attorney general serve a dual role, and act as lieutenant governor.
Martha, since you have told us about a corruption case that you prosecuted, how about telling us about all of the corruption cases that you chose to NOT prosecute?
Oh Mrs Coakley you do so much to the tarp tax payer. Swoon, swoon.... So to paraphrasepour senior senator, just how many bankers, mortgage lenders, CEOs did you prosecute during the financial meltdown.
Ms. Coakley,
I don’t know what state you’re talking about but it certainly is not Massachusetts. This state is filled with cronyism, nepotism and corruption. Let’s just go over the list from the last year- the Drug Lab Scandal-until it made the news not one supervisor within the Lab or Government did anything to stop it and now will cost the taxpayers an estimated 300 million. The list continues with the Meningitis outbreak and over 30 dead and hundreds sick, the highway safety boss problems, the missing millions from the state’s welfare department, the Probation Department, the Lt. Governor situation the most recent Early Education Boss living in Ct and collecting Massachusetts taxpayer dollars and the list goes on. This seems to be a new tactic by some politicians … say what sounds good even if the facts don’t support the statements because the voters are either to stupid to find the truth or to busy to pay attention because their running from job to job to support their family. If you want to go back 5 years on corruption in Massachusetts, I would get carpal tunnel and the Globe would need more ink. I use to respect you Ms. Coakly