DiZoglio fires back at Senate over audit document offer
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State Auditor Diana DiZoglio wasn't impressed by the Senate's move to hand over some financial records Thursday, saying the action was court-compelled rather than a genuine show of cooperation.
Why it matters: DiZoglio's rebuke of Senate President Karen Spilka and her top Democrats signals the audit standoff is far from resolved, even as the Senate gets ready to release its first batch of documents to her office.
State of play: The Senate agreed Thursday to provide four categories of budget and financial records following a court intervention by Attorney General Andrea Campbell.
Yes, but: Senators are giving up some records, but they also passed a resolution reserving their constitutional objections to DiZoglio's audit going any further.
Between the lines: DiZoglio argues that handing over records is not the same as cooperating with her team's full audit process.
- She accused Spilka of directing senators to vote against recognizing the law that was passed by 72% of voters in 2024.
What she's saying: "It's really sad that Senate leadership is so detached from reality that they think anyone believes they've suddenly agreed to give me these specific records for any reason other than that the court is about to lay down the law, again, and order them to obey the people's wishes," DiZoglio told Axios.
The intrigue: House Speaker Ron Mariano broke with the Senate after their vote Thursday.
- The speaker said in a statement that the House would not adopt a similar resolution.
- Instead, the House will work with "transparency experts" to write new legislation on government openness.
What's next: DiZoglio has signaled interest in going after additional records beyond what Campbell authorized. That would set up another round of conflict once these initial documents are delivered.
What we're watching: All eyes will be on DiZoglio Saturday when she addresses the Democratic state convention in Worcester.