Lowell state rep steps down from leadership posts
Indicted Lowell state Rep. David Nangle stepped down Wednesday from leadership and committee posts a day after pleading not guilty to 28 federal charges in his corruption case — but he did not resign.
“I think that’s appropriate,” Gov. Charlie Baker told reporters Wednesday after Nangle relinquished his title as second division chair in the House, and with it a $30,000 bonus on top of his $66,257 base salary as a legislator, and, in an email to the House Clerk, removed himself from his assignments.
When asked if Nangle should step down from public office entirely, Baker said, “Remember, there is something called innocent until proven guilty here. If he’s deemed to have committed these crimes, then yeah, at that point he should definitely step down.”
“These are very serious allegations,” Minority Leader Rep. Bradley Jones said. “While he retains the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise he made the right decision to step down from his posts within the legislature. Whether he steps down prior to the next election is a decision for his conscience, his constituents and their mutual judgments about him being able to be effective on their behalf.”
Nangle, 59, pleaded not guilty on 10 counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, nine counts of making false statements to a bank and five counts of filing false tax returns Tuesday. A 21-page indictment details several different methods Nangle allegedly used to cover up his campaign fund abuse, including buying $7,500 worth of gift cards from stores like CVS and Rite Aid that he reported as spending on supplies.
“Due to recent, unfortunate events I believe it would be in the best interest of the House of Representatives that I step down from my leadership position and committee assignments,” Nangle wrote in the email Wednesday. “It has been an extreme honor to serve you, my colleagues and the citizens of the Commonwealth in my position as Division Floor Leader.”
Nangle removed himself from his assignments to serve on the House Committee on Ethics and the House Committee on Rules.
Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad, a member of the Ethics Committee, said, “the House and the Ethics Committee both have procedures that will be followed. To say anymore could damage the integrity of the process.”
Both Speaker Robert DeLeo and the House Chair of the Ethics Committee Christopher Markey did not respond to requests for comment.
When asked whether there should be more stringent policies for campaign funds to allow for more translucence, Baker said, “Well certainly the rules that we all operate under as elected officials have to do with reporting to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance but obviously a federal investigation is going to take precedent over anything any of us would do at the state level and it should.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2HFHSb2
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