| Today's Globe brings us further developments on ... let's see, what shall we call it? ThreatGate? Drop your suggestions in the comments.
Anyway, the news is that Sal DiMasi has asked the House Ethics Committee (not to be confused with the State Ethics Commission, an independent entity) to look into the incident. Apparently, such a request is quite unusual, and results are even rarer -- the Globe could identify only three instances going back to 1962 in which the House Ethics Committee took action against a rep, and none since 1991. Membership of the House Ethics Committee includes Thomas Petrolati, Lida Harkins, and Eugene O'Flaherty; James Fagan is the chair. Could be interesting.
Also, the Globe has posted the audio of Rep. Callahan's recounting of the alleged threat on the House floor, along with the Speaker's gaveling the House into a recess before she could say much about it.
The Globe's Andrea Estes has sources identifying the rep who made the offending statements to Rep. Callahan:
Two Democratic lawmakers said Callahan told them the colleague who made the remarks was James E. Vallee, a Democrat from Franklin, who is assistant vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Vallee is a key backer of Ways and Means chairman Robert DeLeo, who is vying with majority leader John H. Rogers to succeed DiMasi if he should leave.
Maybe she talked to Ernie, who's been reporting on BMG since Saturday that Vallee was the guy. |
