Massachusetts attorney general says lawsuits against Trump administration are working
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell explained to WBZ-TV why she believes the Trump administration's actions on budget cuts and a range of other issues have prompted nine lawsuits involving her office.
"We are heading in a dangerous direction," Campbell said. "You cannot function in a society and have accountability, checks and balances - which I think every resident in Massachusetts wants - if we do not have a democracy or society of laws."
Andrea Campbell on the Trump administration
During an interview on WBZ's "Keller At Large," Campbell - the former Boston City Councillor and mayoral candidate now in her first term as the state's top law enforcement official - said she believes the lawsuits are working so far and are a necessary counter to the tactics being used by the executive branch.
"What you're seeing is a blatant attack by the administration, including the President himself, to try to undermine the credibility of lawyers, undermine the rule of law and undermine our judiciary with the hopes that fearmongering is created so that we don't do our jobs," she said. "I didn't come into 2025 looking for a fight. I wanted a federal administration that we could work with to help us reduce utility costs, help us bring down the cost of housing, protect our elders, protect our consumers from theft and fraud. And we're not getting that. We're getting unlawful action over and over again, blatant disregard for the Constitution."
Audit of Massachusetts Legislature
Meanwhile, the constitutionality of State Auditor Diana DiZoglio's plans to wield the audit power over the Legislature voters granted her at the polls last fall is proving to be a contentious issue, with DiZoglio and Campbell publicly clashing over the process for moving forward.
"There are constitutional limitations on what the Auditor can audit of another branch of government, namely the Legislature," said Campbell. "So we have been working with her, and although she's out there publicly suggesting that we are the barrier to this audit, that's just not true. When we go into court, as I do, representing any state agency in Massachusetts, the court will ask you, even though we may look fabulous, what is your legal argument? Why are you here? What relief? What's the scope? We need to hear from the auditor: What's the scope of your audit? What are your legal claims? We have not gotten that information fully."
But the Legislature, said Campbell, has been "forthcoming. They want to be helpful. They want to resolve this, but they also have concerns about the constitutional limitations. So yes, we may be in the middle, but we need the auditor to produce more information before we can go into court."
Campbell also discussed her bill proposing an all-day ban on student smartphones in Massachusetts schools during the interview, which can be viewed on demand here.
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