Rep. William Straus On Baker Administration's Claims About The RMV: 'The Information Was In Front Of Them'
The fallout from the state Registry of Motor Vehicle’s handling of out-of-state driving infractions continues, as Massachusetts state legislators dig into the full Grant Thornton investigation documents handed over to them last week.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack has stated that the full extent of the problems in the agency were not communicated to her. But Rep. William Straus, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, said on Greater Boston Wednesday that such a claim was not exculpatory. “If [Pollack] didn’t know, she should have,” Straus told Jim Braude. “If the governor and his deputy chief of staff didn’t know, they should have.”
Straus said such a mistake would have been “a result of a policy decision that was made many years ago, by the Baker administration, that they would look at the wrong things” — a reference to cutting down on wait times at the RMV that critics have said distracted the agency from addressing safety concerns. “I believe the information was in front of them — whether they consciously knew it, that’s for them to say,” Straus said.
Three Scholars Testify Trump’s Actions Are Impeachable; GOP Witness Calls Process Too Fast
Four constitutional scholars testified in the ongoing impeachment process Wednesday in front of the House Judiciary Committee, with the three witnesses called by the Democrats saying the president's efforts to get Ukraine to announce an investigation into the Bidens were cause for impeachment. The witness called by the Republicans said the Democrats were trying to rush the process without enough evidence, despite multiple corroborating accounts brought by various diplomats and public servants during closed-door depositions and televised hearings earlier this fall.
To discuss, Jim Braude was joined by former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Don Stern, and Lylah Alphonse, managing editor for U.S. News & World Report.
