Coakley under investigation... Deval is at it again

From the Herald:

Leave it to the GOP....lets see if anything comes of this. But for the readers of this blog, we posted something about her secret accounts a while ago. Perhaps more info will come out now.

Federal election authorities have launched an official review into claims that Attorney General Martha Coakley improperly used her state campaign funds to ramp up her Senate bid weeks before U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy died.

The Federal Election Commission sent a letter to the Massachusetts Republican Party this week saying it is reviewing the GOP’s complaint that Coakley used state funds on her federal race - a violation of election laws.

“Martha Coakley was scheming a shadow campaign for higher office rather than prosecuting political corruption as Attorney General,” MassGOP spokeswoman Tarah Donoghue said. “Coakley is clearly trying to avoid questions on this matter, but she won’t be able to avoid the FEC.”










Gov. Deval Patrick has issued pink slips to nearly 100 state Department of Conservation and Recreation workers but spared a high-paid trio including the sister of his campaign manager and her two pals, the Herald has learned.

DCR Commissioner Rick Sullivan confirmed 91 workers have been let go, including some who held their jobs for years.

But Patty Vantine - the sister of Gov. Deval Patrick’s campaign manager and state Democratic chairman John Walsh - and two friends she hired are not among those hitting the unemployment line.

Vantine, a former accountant for the state Democratic party, was given a $20,000 raise last year that bumped her pay to $105,000 when she was promoted to a top DCR administrative post.

The Herald reported in May that Vantine hired her friend and Abington neighbor Kathleen Reilly to an $83,000-a-year administrative post. Reilly previously had worked for the state for 18 years but was a stay-at-home mom until Vantine brought her back onto the state payroll earlier this year.

Vantine also hired her Abington neighbor Kevin Whalen, a former analyst for State Street Corp., to a $68,000 “waterfront coordinator” position.

Does Deval think no one will hear of this?