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Murphy thinks Arroyo should consider resigning from the Boston City Council in the wake of the Rollins scandal
“I don't know anyone who thinks that what he did was OK.”
Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy believes Councilor Ricardo Arroyo should consider resigning after two scathing federal reports documented U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’s alleged attempts to meddle in last year’s Suffolk County district attorney race on his behalf.
The reports from the Department of Justice inspector general and U.S. Office of Special Counsel accuse Rollins of leaking sensitive information in an attempt to create the public impression that the DOJ was or would be investigating Arroyo’s opponent, then-Interim Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden, who went on to win the election. Rollins announced her resignation earlier this week.
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Released Wednesday, the reports include several text messages between Arroyo and Rollins, who at times offered words of encouragement, campaign advice, and condemnations of Hayden.
More on the Rollins reports:
On the eve of a report in The Boston Globe detailing prior sexual assault allegations made against him when he was a teenager, Arroyo messaged Rollins that the announcement of an investigation into Hayden “[w]ould be the best thing I can have happen at this moment.”
“Understood,” Rollins replied. “Keep fighting and campaigning. I’m working on something.”
After Arroyo lost in the primary, Rollins — seeming to suspect that Hayden released politically damaging records about Arroyo — texted, “This was just dirty and unethical. … They are not above the law. He will regret the day he did this to you. Watch.”
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In a statement Thursday, Murphy wrote that she was “beyond disappointed” to read that Arroyo “apparently eagerly welcomed Rollins’s election tampering in order to advance his campaign for DA.”
She called for “swift and appropriate consequences,” elaborating in an email to Boston.com that her colleague should consider resigning.
“I believe he should ask himself if he is the person in this moment to meet the needs of the people of District 5 and Boston,” she wrote. “Yes, he should definitely seriously consider stepping aside so the very important work of the Council can go forward without distractions and distrust.”
Reached for comment, Arroyo pointed to a statement he made Wednesday night, where he described Rollins as “someone who I have sought advice and counsel from about various aspects of my life and career.”
Arroyo also said he was never contacted or notified about the inspector general and OSC investigations.
“I have reviewed the reports released by their respective offices and neither of these reports allege any wrongdoing on my part,” he asserted. “My focus remains on working for the residents of District 5.”
In a follow-up phone interview, Murphy said Arroyo’s statement didn’t give the impression that he was apologetic or taking the allegations seriously.
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“I’m waiting to see if he says more, but at this point, it just didn’t seem like enough to me,” Murphy said.
She added: “I don’t know anyone who thinks that what he did was OK.”
Murphy also asserted that Arroyo’s actions have stoked distraction and distrust in the City Council.
“There is a feeling in Boston and across the nation that politicians and elected officials are no good, and I think that this type of behavior is what feeds that belief,” she said.
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