BOSTON (AP) – Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins will resign after a month-long ethics investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general into her appearance at a political fundraiser and other potential issues, her attorney said Tuesday.
The Justice Department’s watchdog has yet to release its report detailing the findings of its investigation, but a lawyer for Rollins told The Associated Press that he will submit a letter of resignation to President Joe Biden in close of business on Friday.
“Rachel has been very honored to serve as US Attorney for the past 16 months and is very proud of all that her office has accomplished in her limited time, especially in the areas of gun violence and civil rights,” her attorney, former Justice Department Inspector. General Michael Bromwich, said in a statement.
“He is hopeful that the important work he started will continue but understands that his presence has become a distraction. The work of the office and the Department of Justice is too important to cover anything,” said Bromwich.
The resignation of a U.S. attorney amid ethics concerns is a rare occurrence and particularly unusual for a Justice Department that under Attorney General Merrick Garland is seeking to restore a sense of normalcy and good governance after the tumultuous four years of the Trump administration.
Rollins was sworn in as Massachusetts’ top federal law enforcement officer in January 2022 after serving as the district attorney for Boston and surrounding communities.
Rollins was praised by progressives for his approach to law enforcement before he was elevated to the high-profile job of U.S. attorney amid stiff Republican opposition. Vice President Kamala Harris twice had to cast a tie-breaking vote for her nomination to move forward.
The Associated Press first reported in November that the inspector general’s office has opened an investigation into Rollins over his appearance last year at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser with first lady Jill Biden.
People familiar with the investigation told the AP at the time that the investigation expanded to other areas, including Rollins’ use of his personal cellphone to conduct Justice Department business and a trip he took to California that paid for by an outside group.
The inspector general’s office began investigating Rollins after he was photographed in July arriving at a home in Andover, Massachusetts, where a DNC fundraiser was held with Jill Biden. That’s according to two people briefed on the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
The inspector general’s office generally investigates allegations of fraud, abuse or violations of other Justice Department policies.
Rollins said in a tweet in July that he “has agreed” to meet with the first lady and left the event early to speak at two community events. A person familiar with discussions prior to that event told the AP that Rollins was given only limited permission to meet with Jill Biden outside the home.
Rollins acknowledged the investigation in a December meeting with reporters, saying he didn’t want his office to be “distracted” by the probe.
“I think any time there’s an investigation of anybody — and I’m the chief law enforcement officer in two different roles — it certainly affects you,” Rollins said at the time.
The US Office of Special Counsel, another federal watchdog agency, is also investigating whether Rollins’ attendance at the fundraiser violated the Hatch Act, a law that limits the political activity of government workers. The status of that investigation is unclear.
In addition to investigating the fundraiser’s appearance, the inspector general’s office copied the phone content of several employees in Rollins’ office as part of their investigation into his possible use of his personal phone for Justice Department business. , a person familiar with the matter told the AP the other day. year.
The inspector general is also investigating a trip Rollins took to California that was paid for by an outside group, even though Justice Department employees are not required to accept payments for the travel. The trip was for CAA Amplify, the annual gathering of entertainment, business and political figures run by one of Hollywood’s leading talent agencies, Creative Artists Agency.
After being nominated in 2021 to serve as Massachusetts’ top federal law enforcement officer, Rollins faced fierce pushback from Republicans, who painted him as a radical. As district attorney for Suffolk County, which includes Boston, Rollins pushed for ambitious criminal justice reforms, particularly a policy of not prosecuting certain low-level crimes such as theft in the store.
The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked his nomination before the full Senate confirmed him in a 51-50 vote — with Harris breaking the tie.
