BY KATHERINE GREGG AND TOM MOONEY
kgregg@providencejournal.com
tmooney@providencejournal.com
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PROVIDENCE – A dark cloud of uncertainty hung over Gordon D. Fox’s four-year reign as Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Friday evening after state and federal investigators swooped into his State House office and home with search warrants, and then left hours later with armloads of boxes.
The FBI and IRS investigators spent hours at both locations. Fox’s whereabouts remained unknown all the while. He returned home shortly before 2 p.m. after 14 federal agents left his whitewashed brick house at 11 Gorton St. , in Providence, carrying boxes secured with red “evidence” tape. Fox declined to talk to reporters before closing the door.
While the nature of the investigation remains undisclosed, Jim Martin, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said his office, the FBI, the state police and the IRS engaged in a law enforcement action which included the execution of two federal search warrants Friday.
As the federal agents pored through documents in Fox’s third-floor office in the State House, House Majority Leader Nicholas Mattiello paced a Federal Hill sidewalk outside Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen Restaurant, a cell phone to his ear. He said he was trying to arrange a caucus of House Democrats for Friday evening to discuss a possible successor to Fox."...
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- On the day after state and federal investigators raided his State House office and home, House Speaker Gordon D. Fox [D] has announced his intention to resign as speaker.
He issued this statement:
“The Rhode Island House of Representatives is an institution that I deeply respect and serving my constituents has been a major part of my life for the past 22 years. I will not let yesterday’s events distract my colleagues from addressing the challenges facing Rhode Island.”
“Because of the respect I have for all members of the House of Representatives, I am resigning as Speaker. The process of governing must continue and the transition of leadership must be conducted in an orderly manner.”
“I want to thank my colleagues and loyal staff for all that we were able to accomplish together. I will continue to serve out the remainder of my term and represent my neighbors and constituents in District 4. That said, I do not intend to seek another term in the House.”
First openly homosexual house speaker? Think he could provide a much better example than the corrupt heterosexual Rhode Island politicians who came before him? Nope just another criminal.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
"By Craig R. McCoy and Angela Couloumbis, Inquirer Staff Writers
POSTED: March 22, 2014
In unusually barbed criticism of a fellow prosecutor and fellow Democrat, Philadelphia's district attorney rebuked state Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane on Friday, saying she had needlessly killed a solid corruption investigation - and besmirched the prosecutors who built the case.
In an op-ed to be published in The Inquirer on Sunday, Seth Williams faulted Kane for shutting down a "sting" operation that caught at least five Philadelphia Democrats, including four state representatives, on tape accepting money or gifts.
"She apparently has electronic recordings of numerous elected officials taking money while promising their votes - and she has to let them off scot-free because she would be incapable of convincing a jury of their guilt?" he wrote."...
Good to see one politician willing to criticize members of their party for covering up crimes against the people of Pennsylvania! Especially since Philly is known for corruption.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.