Most elected and appointed public officials in Rhode Island honor their oath of office and serve the people of Rhode Island well. Yet experience tells us that there are some who don’t.

And while we all wish it were otherwise, there’s little doubt that there’s more public corruption work ahead. That work needs to be done, not just because politicians ought to do what’s right, but because when they don’t, it has a real, negative impact on our economy. No one wants to do business in a state that’s for sale. And that means fewer jobs for our residents, and, someday, our kids.

The next Attorney General needs to have the experience and independence, and the will, to bring these cases.

As U.S. Attorney, I made public corruption our top priority, and we brought case after case against politicians who violated their oath. Three North Providence City Councilmen. The Mayor of Central Falls. The Speaker of the House of Representatives. The House Finance Chair. And others.

I’ll do the same work as Attorney General.

Within the Attorney General’s Office, I’ll build a strong team of experienced, talented prosecutors and investigators who know how to investigate and prosecute these cases, and give them the resources to do so.

When I was U.S. Attorney, I relied on my strong relationship with the Rhode Island State Police, as well as the FBI and IRS, to create the partnerships needed to successfully bring these cases. I’ll rely on that experience, and those relationships, to build strong, effective public corruption cases as Attorney General.

I’ll create new partnerships, with the Board of Elections and the Ethics Commission, so that when issues involving public officials come up in those forums, and those issues warrant criminal investigation, such investigations can proceed quickly and effectively.

For the past twenty years, I have had the enormous privilege of representing the people of Rhode Island, as a state and federal prosecutor. For as long as I have practiced law in Rhode Island, over twenty years, the people have been my only client.

As Attorney General, on behalf of the people of Rhode Island, I’ll make sure that all public officials, elected or appointed, serve the public, not themselves.