October 21, 2025 • 38 mins
Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio continues her fight to audit the state legislature, a voter backed action that received 72% voter approval last November. DiZoglio has run into continuous roadblocks to get the job done and her office has confirmed that they are “actively pursuing the filing of a lawsuit” against the Legislature. Diana DiZoglio checked in with us to discuss some of the roadblocks her office has encountered.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All Welcome back everyone. Thank you very much, Dan Watkins.
As we move into our nine o'clock hour, and with us,
I'm delighted to be joined by Massachusetts State Auditor Diana Desaglio,
Madam Auditor, Welcome to Nightside. Welcome back, Dan.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
It's great to be back as always, Thanks so much
for having me on.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I know that you are still fighting to audit the
state legislature here in Massachusetts. Most of our listeners, many
of our listeners, don't understand why you haven't been allowed
to perform your functions as auditor and audit the state legislature.
(00:47):
They have basically thrown up a glass wall against you
that you're trying desperately to get around without any help.
It seems to me from any of the other big
political wigs up at the State House. You are fighting
a lonely battle, but you are not quitting.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, quitting is not an option, right Dan. I mean,
we've come this far and there are so many people
who not just voted for this to the tune of
seventy two percent, but think about the folks who took
time out of their lives, their very busy lives and
schedules and sacrifice a lot of time and energy working
(01:31):
really hard on this campaign for Question one to audit
the legislature, collecting over one hundred thousand signatures to get
this issue on the ballot. That is no small feat.
And people came together, Republicans, Democrats, everybody in between across
the political spectrum to say, look, we want good government.
Massachusetts is the least transparent state in the entire nation,
(01:55):
according to most good government groups. In fact, with the
only state in the nation where the legislator, governor's office,
and a judiciary all quim exemptions from the state's public
records laws. We can do better in Massachusetts, and we
need to do better. And I am continuing this fight
because this is something the seventy two percent of the commonwealth.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Said that they wanted.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And oh yeah, Dan, also because it's the law and
we expect lawmakers to follow the law.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, you're not getting any help from the attorney general
who announced today that she intends to stand for reelection.
There's never much doubt about that, but I know that
this was the day that she announced her intention to
run for reelection. She has actually and if I'm mischaracterizing
(02:45):
her actions, feel free to correct me. She actually has
been more of a roadblock than an expediter of this process.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
The Journey General is on the side of legislative leaders
against the will of the peace people in helping them
to block our access to a courtroom to sue to
make sure that this law is followed. Unfortunately, the Attorney
General continues to allege that she can't enforce the law,
that she's unable to somehow do her job because she
(03:18):
needs me to answer more questions, questions Dan, that we've
repeatedly answered over the course of the last year, but
that she has said it's still not enough to get
her to do this job. So I last week stood
on the steps of the Statehouse and called on the
Attorney General if that's true, if it really is true
(03:41):
that I am for some reason not answering questions, or
if she needs more documents then you know we've provided
her with in order to enforce the law and do
her job as Attorney General. Then she needs to sue
even my office and sue me personally if she believes
that we have information that she needs to do her job.
(04:02):
But of course, Dan, we know that's not true. We
know that the Attorney General doesn't need any more information
from my office to be able to do her job.
We know that we've provided her with everything she needs,
and that the Attorney General doesn't need permission from anybody
to enforce the law. She's a constitutional officer. Her job
is to enforce the law. She's the state's top law
enforcement agent of the Commonwealth, and it is her duty,
(04:26):
not an option. It's her duty to enforce the law
and make sure that there's accountability here. But unfortunately, Madam
Attorney General has been unwilling to assist the people on
this front because legislative leaders are so powerful that you know,
they take precedent and their desire to break the law
(04:48):
is unfortunately being put the will of the people and
what the law says.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
So you.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
For those who are trying to you know, stick with
what we're talking about it and you're very clear by
the way in how this sets up. You, as the
state audit of the Commonwealth, want to audit the state legislature,
the House and Senate. I'm assuming you probably are not
having many conversations to try to work out an agreement
(05:20):
or an arrangement with either Speaker Mariano or the Senate
President Karen Spiker. Am I assuming that that there's not
a lot of behind the scenes conversations going.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
On, mister speaker amount of president, don't speak to me unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I'm serious. I say, I'll call it as it is.
That's juvenile. They were an elected official. You're an elected official.
As a matter of fact, you have a larger constituency
than either they do. The Speaker represents two and a
half percent of the state because there are forty state senators.
Mariano represents less than one percent of the state because
(06:01):
there are one hundred and sixty state representatives. You are
one of the six constitutional offices that are elected statewide,
only the governor, only the two US Senators who are
also elected statewide. There's only eight people who are elected
statewide in this commonwealth, and you're one of them. And
they have small constituencies. Oh, they have a bunch of
(06:23):
colleagues who pay homage and respect and genuflect. But what
a scam this is we have going on here in Massachusetts.
And you're the only one is who is looking to
basically open up this can of worms and let's see
what's there.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah, Dan, Look, if you can't take a basic audit
and you need to try to obstruct that work, whether
it's the attorney general of the speaker or is that
a president, my question is what are you hiding?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
What you so afraid of?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And I continue to say this, and look, when we audit,
we generally speaking find some areas of needed improvement. And yes,
sometimes we find unlawful activity, but by and large that's
not the case. And by and large we simply find
areas for improvement, clerical efficiencies to be made, administrative efficiency,
(07:23):
you know, administrative updates to be made to make government
entities operate more efficiently. We'll find if they're you know,
some missing receipts or discrepancies you know, financially speaking, or otherwise.
You know, these are not These are routine audits. We're
required to audit state entities once every three years. We
work hard to make sure that we're helping to make
(07:44):
government work better. We're not the FBI, you know, but
they're treating us as though we're coming in and trying
to confiscate their cell phones or something, you know. Respectfully,
I don't want to see their text messages. That's not
under my purview. You know, so I I am looking
to get access to the financial statements, the financial documents,
(08:05):
the receipts, the contracts and such to be able to
produce the report to tell tax payers what's going on
behind those closed doors with their taxpayer funds. But you
would think that this was an awful scandalous action. And
you know, for anybody to think that, I mean and
be so afraid of an audit, you do have to
wonder what are they hiding because other entities take these audits,
(08:28):
and yes, they can be annoying for these date entities. Certainly,
we don't have agencies taking out pom poms when the
auditors come in and going yay, we're so excited we
get to be audited. You know, that's not what happens.
People do, you know, get annoyed with the process because
it does uncover areas where improvements are needed, and it
(08:49):
can be tough for anyone who's a human being to
take constructive feedback and have to fix things right. But
it's not generally speaking, that big of a deal. It's
a matter of routine. People know, it's part of doing business.
If you're going to run, you know, a state entity
and that's it, and people move forward. They make the improvements,
and everybody's able to move forward. Generally speaking, at the legislature,
(09:12):
it's terrified. They're terrified of opening up their books, Dan,
and people ask to wonder, why, why are they under why?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I can just imagine that if some citizen in Massachusetts
received the letter from the I R S that the
IRS intended to audit them. I kind of imagined that
they would have the ability to say, of the IRS,
oh no, you're not going to audit me, because I'm
a citizen of the co of the Massachusetts anymore than
the Speaker or the or the Senate President. Listen to this.
(09:42):
I know that you're traveling in a car. The audio
is really good. You were out speaking tonight, I believe
in western Massachusetts. Yeah, you're working very hard on behalf
of your your constituents everyone in Massachusetts. I assume that
the twenty eight percent of the people who voted against
(10:02):
the audit of the legislature either are members of the legislature,
work for the legislature, or related to people who either
are members or work for the legislature. Uh, let's get
phone calls. I'm going to take a break, give you
a chance to catch your breath. Thanks for being with us.
I hope that the audio was as good on your
(10:23):
end as it is in ours. And let's go to
phone calls. And I want to ask my audience, do
you or do you not support State Auditor Disauglio in
her efforts to audit the legislature here in Massachusetts as
the voters approved and the voters ordered last election with
(10:44):
a ballot question number one six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three, one ten thirty.
If you feel that the legislature is right and they
shouldn't be audited, you can call, or you don't have
to call. I want to hear from people who feel
that this state auditor is doing the right thing, simply
(11:06):
looking to do her job, and she is facing absolute
stonewalling by the state legislature. Will be back on nightside
the state legislative leadership, because most of the state legislators
probably they don't mind, they wouldn't mind an audit, but
they don't dare speak out, they don't dare get out
of line, because that's not the way the legislature works
(11:28):
in Massachusetts. UH. And by the way, the state auditor
was a member of both the House and the Senate,
as she has risen through the political ranks here in Massachusetts,
so she understands the system as well as anyone six, one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty, six, one, seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty.
And if this doesn't upset you as a as a
(11:48):
voter and as a taxpayer of Massachusetts, then nothing will
just roll over and play dead. Coming back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Way Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
We're talking with Massachusettstate Auditor Dianato Zauglio. Let me ask
you one final question from me, and then we'll go
to phone calls. And if you don't want to answer
this question, that's fine. Have any members of the legislature
without identifying them, come to you quietly and said, you
know what, Auditor, I wish I could support you on
this because you're right, but I can't step out of
(12:25):
line from the leadership.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Have you had any real percent Yeah?
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Yeah, absolutely. Look, Look, and here's what I'll say. You
you hit the nail on head. You said, you know, look,
she served in the legislature. She knows what's going on
up there. I look, I was a state representative for
six years. I was a state senator for four years. Yes,
I was known during that entire time period for bucking
my party's leadership quite often, because frankly, they rule with
(12:54):
an iron fist up there and it's their way or
the highway. And once I figured that out, I said, well,
you know, I'm a Merrimac Valley girl over here, so
we get loud. And you know, that was that. And
my district wanted me to be loud for them, and
they wanted me to fight for them, and that's what
I did. But certainly, you know, even when you're you're
(13:17):
taking on the leadership like that, you know you are
serving and working with a lot of really great human
beings who are doing their best to do their jobs,
but are themselves and we use the word terrified about
the audit. You know, they're they're terrified about what their
leadership is going to do to retaliate against them. Take
(13:38):
away their stipend, take away their office, take away their staff,
and not just punish them Dan, but the speacreins and
a president punish people's communities when legislators step out of line.
So if for example, a state repper, state senator does
something that you know, ticks off the Senate President or
speaker enough, like supporting this audit, for example, they will
(14:02):
retaliate against not just that legislator, they will go after
their funding priorities for their communities. So if they're trying
to get funding for community center, a youth center, a
senior center, a firetruck, you know, just I'm just naming
like different things that they could be trying to get
funding for for their communities. The secrets and a president
are going to turn a blind and eye to that
(14:23):
community and disregard that entire community just because the legislator
has a different opinion than they do on an issue
such as this. So I do often have state reps
and state senators coming to me privately and saying, of
course they're supportive, you know, and then saying to me,
(14:43):
but you understand, you know how it is we're going
to be retaliated against. They're basically like in a hostage
situation up there. You know, It's it's terrible.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Now.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Now, look, there are legislators who feel like they're in
a hostage situation. But then there are legislators who you know,
have like Stockholm syndrome, where you know, they've absolutely just
gotten to the point where they've been there so long
and they're like, you know what, they're like, you know,
I'm just gonna I'm just.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Gonna drink the kool aid willingly at this point and
just along to get along with this a speaker amount
of president because.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
It's not that bad, you know. Yeah, sure they have
to sell out on every vote. They can't stand up
and share their opinion about anything.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
But you know, it's not that bad, and it's actually
really great up there.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
And now defend the speaker and Senate president. Even if
they're getting screwed over, so to speak, in terms of
what they're getting in the budget or what they're getting
for legislation getting passed, they'll still defend the secrets and
a president because it's easier.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
So well that you've just described the Stockholm syndrome perfectly.
When people are held hostage, sometimes they they identify. Obviously
they get brainwashed by their captors. But that's what the
Stockholm syndrome is. Syndrome is and the idea of going along,
(16:02):
you know, to get along. Some of them probably you're saying, gee,
if I can hang in here, someday I might be
in leadership. Who knows, maybe I'll be uh, I'll hold
the gavel.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
You have people who are in there and they have
been treated so poorly, so unbelievably badly.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
They tell me about the.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Bullying, the shaming that they go through, how awful the
leadership came and treated them. But then they'll come to
me and say, well, you know, I can't vote off
because no, I might be up for a vice share
soon and I don't want to mess that up. And
I look at them and I go, you're never going
to move up in that building because you're not at
(16:46):
heart a sellout. And they can smell it on you.
You know, like a lot of these people they want
to be successful so that they can be successful, but
so their districts can be successful as well, but they're
not so and you know, look at the leadership team
can tell you know, it's it's it's they can tell
if they're going to, you know, do every single thing
(17:08):
they want, if they're going.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
To be henchmen or hunch women or not. And so
you have this.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
System where it's kind of crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
But you know, some people do learn.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
To love their captors in there, and they praise the
sequence Senate President for the abuse that is inflicted on
them essentially, which is you know, really crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
But then you have other people who.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Essentially think that there's hope that they'll eventually maybe get
a championship one day, and yet you know, they're really
getting like twenty thousand dollars in the budget and NEVI
get a bill passed. You know, it's been six years,
ten years, and they're still holding out hope. You know,
I feel bad for those folks who are looking at
that and thinking that someday, you.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Know, their district is going to be treated with respect
and they're going to be treated with respect.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
But it does happen.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Dan, And you know, again a lot of.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
These people are good people who are just you know,
scared of retaliation. But then you know some of them
actually want to become part of the bullying themselves, and
you just have to figure out who's who by your
interactions with them.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
And they need more. Diana and Dezaglios in both parties
up there, both Democrats and Republicans. It's it affects both parties. Diana,
I hit the newscast, so I got to do the
quick newscast and we come back. I got full lines,
and I want to I want you to hear from
people and I want them to know that they they're
speaking with you directly. Uh and so thanks, thank you
(18:38):
for doing this. I know it's been a long day,
but God bless you for what you're doing. There's one
person up there, and it is you. Put all the Democrats,
all the Republicans, and if there are any independence aside,
and you're the one that is truly speaking out on
behalf of the entire citizenry of Massachusetts, particularly the seventy
(18:58):
two percent who voted to authorize you to do your
job and just do a simple audit on the state legislature.
And there has to be something that leadership is trying
to hide back with these the state Auditor, Diana Desauglio,
you've heard her, you've talked, you can talk to her.
I only have one line open, which is six, one, seven, nine, three, one,
(19:19):
ten thirty. I'll get to as many of you as
possible for the balance of this hour. Coming back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Night Side with Dan Ray. I'm WBZ Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
My guest is the State Order of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Diana Desauglio, for those who you those of you who
are interested. Diana Desauglio is a Democrat. She was a
Democrat in the House of Representatives, Democrat and the State Senate,
and she is one of the six constitutional officers in Massachusetts.
And she is fighting against the entire bureaucracy, the political bureaucracy,
(19:57):
the POLP bureau, if you will, o polit bureau up
at the State House of Massachusetts, the State Legislature, the
House and Senate. Let's go to the call is going
to go to Bob and Cambridge. Bob, I appreciate your patience.
You were first this hour with the state ordered Diana Desagbia.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
Go right ahead, Bob, Rob, Hello, Hello, Dan, Hello Diana.
I want to tell you that this order in situation
that Diana has caught up and in doing very well with,
is one big sham. The sham is the old boy
network up on the hill. And the person that should
(20:33):
be reprimanded or censured here is the top waity car
from not sticking her nose and then trying out.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Why well, Diana, the top police officer in the car
health is the Attorney General. And I think that Rob
has identified at least part of the problem.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Yeah, I mean, look, a lot of folks. Sorry, Bob,
do you want to say something the gun.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Yeah, it's getting little old, you know what I mean,
it's got something's got to be done. It's getting too old.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
No, no, really, no, one's fighting hard and good. Diana
disaugly Mad a monitor. You want to comment on his
reference to the Attorney general who announced reelect her effort
for reelection today.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Yeah, and look, I understand your frustration. I you know,
I would be remiss not to say that many times
I just did feel like throwing in the towel with
this because it is a circus up there, and you know,
it is non stop, uh, just gamesmanship with a lot
(21:39):
of these folks. And they're all friends, right, so they're
talking behind the scenes, they're working together to break the law.
It's not okay. The Attorney General needs to do her job.
She refuses to do it, you know, and deflects to
what's happening at the federal level every time she's you know,
spoken to about this. You know, there is a job
to be done at the federal level for or I
(22:00):
think we all can recognize that. But there's also a
job to do here in Massachusetts. You know, we need
the law to be enforced here in our home state,
and we need our politicians to follow the law, and
that's not too much to ask. So we're trying to
get access to court. We are going to continue to
push for this, and we're suing, by the way, Bob,
(22:22):
we are suing. We have our own attorney that we
have secured at no cost to the taxpayer, and we
are trying to get access to the court. The Attorney
General is fighting us every step of the way and
saying that she's going to seek to get this dismissed
from court. But we're trying to get access to court
despite her fighting against us, and we hope that when
we do get access to court, that a judge will
(22:44):
side with the people of the commonwealth and not the politicians.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
And by the way, I have a list of names
of my listeners who have volunteered to join a class
action lawsuit if one is filed, or if there is
and attorney out there who's willing to entertain such a filing.
Because the will of seventy two percent seventy one point
(23:09):
six percent of the voters in the Cornwalth of Massachusetts
is not only being ignored but it's being rebuffed by
the legislative leadership, the Speaker Mariano and the Senate President Spoker.
And by the way, it would be interesting if either
of these individuals either lost reelection that would send a
(23:31):
message through the Commonwealth that would be the days of
the old Boys or the Old Girls network should be over. Bob.
Thank you so much, Rob, thank you for your call.
Appreciate it very very much.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Bob, good night, good night.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
Let me keep rolling again.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Going to go to Ronnie in Plymouth. Ronnie, you are
next on nightside with State Auditor Diana Dezaglio.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
Yes, greeting. I know within your office, the Auditor's office,
you have an investing if you're a correct Diana, we have.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
A Bureau of Special Investigations that does look into individual
fraud circumstances for people potentially abusing snap benefits, CVT cards,
mass health and that sort of thing.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
Why can't you recruit the help of the Inspected General
in maybe the Revenue Department instat looking into some of
these people some of their personal business, look at their
tax return.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
That that well, that's beyond discovering her authority.
Speaker 6 (24:35):
I believe that That's why I'm asking her if you
can recruit the Inspected General in the Revenue Department to
assist her in this.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Yeah, thank you so much for the thanks so much
for the great question, and Dan, I got it. Thank
you so much, Ronnie. So what the issue is is
that you are correct. So my office cannot do that
sort of thing. We can't access people's personal tax returns.
We don't have that type of authority. And we also
don't have of criminal investigatory authorities. So I'm glad that
we're talking about the word investigation because I think a
(25:06):
lot of people, you know, they'll they'll hear the word auditor,
and when they think of audits, they might think, you
know that it's a little bit more than what it is.
You obviously know that an audit's an audit, right, not
a not a criminal investigation, and that the Inspector General,
with the Inspector General, is indeed someone who can do
those types of investigations, and we do work with the
(25:29):
Inspector General. It's my understanding that the Inspector General feels
that their office does not have purview over the legislature,
that it is the Attorney General's office who has purview
over the legislature. To conduct those types of investigations. And unfortunately,
we're back to square one when it comes to that
because I am trying to recruit the Attorney General because
(25:52):
she does have that type of authority that the Inspector
General says that they don't have. There that the Attorney
General's refusing. So it's a Fortunately we're back to square one,
but totally hard. And look, if there's any work that
we can do with the Instructor General, certainly we'll we'll
look into that and see what can be done.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Thank you, ran, great question, appreciate you call six. Let
me get one more in here before we got to
go to the break. I'm going to go to uh,
Peter uh in West Roxby. Pete, you're next on night
side with the State of Artith the Cormwalth of Massachusetts.
Diana des Ogle, go right ahead, Pete.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
How you doing both?
Speaker 6 (26:31):
Push?
Speaker 5 (26:33):
I have a question, why don't you run for higher
office against the Attorney General?
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Well, first, you'd be able to do this. First of all,
she is a constitutional officer. Uh, and uh, she she
has run statewide. Pete. You know she could run I
guess for governor if she wanted to. But at the
same time, that's not what.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
I think that would be to be able to stop
the audit right into a higher position.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Well, well, I think it. I think what you're proposing
is a don Quyxote sort of run. If it then
would be perceived as a personal grievance, and it's not
a personal grievance that the state ordered it has she
has behind her a vote of seventy one point six
(27:23):
seventy degree okay, and for her for her to surrender
the auditor, Madam honored, I'll let you in here, but
I just want to defend you a little bit here.
It is not up to her to literally run against
the Attorney general or the governor. She is doing everything
she possibly can in the position to which she was elected.
(27:46):
For her to abandon that post would be a fool's errand,
and Diana des Ugly is no one's fool. Go ahead, and.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Thanks so much. And Pete, Pete, great question. Thank you
for calling in. I think that you know it's important
to say I'm not an attorney and that's why I
didn't run for attorney general. You do, you know it's
important to make sure we have a strong attorney in
the role of attorney general. I don't have legal training
(28:18):
in that capacity to be able to you know, sue
different entities and all of that. I ran for State
Auditor because this is the role where I could utilize
my experience working on the state budget as a legislator
previously and really understanding the ends and outs of that
state budget process and that legislative process to look at
(28:42):
the policies and the procedures and some of those financial
components in different state agencies and departments. And you know,
after serving ten years as a legislator working on that
state budget, running for state auditor was the place where
I thought that I could make a bigger difference with
a greater play platform on a lot of the issues
that I've been working on previously. And that's you know
(29:04):
what I'm doing right now. But I would not run
for attorney general. I am not an attorney uh And
I do think it's important that we have someone in
there who do who does you know, have that skill set?
But thank you for Paul, And yes.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Are you afraid that they'll primary you because you're not
playing ball with them?
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Well, I mean, look, I totally hear you, and that's
totally again.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
You know, yes, I got it.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
I appreciate it. I look, they can do whatever they want, right,
but the people have spoken, and I trust that the
people of the Commonwealth, you know, have the backs of
the people who are working hard to serve them in
the right way and who are making the right decisions.
(29:58):
And you know, look, they is a They ran very
hard against me when I ran for this seat. They
endorsed against me, the Senate president through a rally on
the stairs of the State House for my primary opponent.
You know, while I was the youngest woman serving in
the state Senate, my Senate president through a rally and
(30:19):
got all the women in the legislature to rally against
me to try to try to ensure that I didn't
win this election. But you, the voters, you made your decision.
You knew who you wanted is your state auditor. And
you know, I'm not afraid of these folks. And I
know a lot of people are afraid of the Senate President.
(30:41):
They're afraid of the speaker. Frankly, I think they need
to be afraid of you, the voters right now. I
think that they should be the ones who are put
on the defense for breaking the law, and that we
just need to keep not shrinking back and showing them
that we have courage, that we're not afraid of them,
and then we're going to stand up for what's right
(31:02):
even if they retaliate. And if they want to retaliate,
let them. We're gonna let me.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Let me jump in for one second. Pete. I want
to challenge you. And here's what my challenge to you is.
You should find out who your state senator is and
who your state representative is. You should call them and
tell them that unless this audit of the legislature occurs
under the direction of the Auditor Diana Desaglio, you will
(31:28):
find and never vote for them again. And if enough
people tell the legislators, they will never vote for them
again until this audit is allowed, that will do more
than anything else to allow this audit to go forward.
That's the challenge for each and every citizen in Massachusetts.
You voted, you told them what you wanted, and now
(31:48):
they're spitting in your face. Pete, I got a run
comes I'm white past my break, but I thank you
for your call.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Okay, dam yeah, yes, go ahead, I.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Am here, Yes, I don't cut people off.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
Go ahead, Okay.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
The problem with that is west Roxbury. It's it's the
conservative west Roxbury is no longer and they don't care
what we think. The bike lanes was a perfect example
of that.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
All you have to Yeah, Pete, I agree with you.
I had a conversation about that today with someone from
West Roxbury. But do your part, do your part. You
voted for the audience, do your part. Thanks Pete. I
got to run, I got other calls and I got
a break coming up. Here's a break back. A yes, yes, Diana,
go ahead.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Do you have a moment for me to just say
what somebody can do? Because yes, yes, pe if look
if people feel and thank you Pete for just raising
your concerns that you don't feel like your voice is
being hard. I don't blame you for feeling.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Like your voice is not being hard because we.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Have seventy two percent of the Commonwealth being told that
their vote doesn't matter right now by overly powerful politicians
who think that you don't count. And that's not okaycount.
And here's another way you can let your voice be heard.
We're going to keep coming at them with everything we have.
If they want to ignore a balid question, we're going
(33:08):
to pass another one. If they want to ignore that,
we're going to pass another one.
Speaker 4 (33:12):
We're going to keep.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Coming at them until they do what they're supposed to do.
We just can't give up. And what I'm asking people
to do is to consider please supporting the next ballot
question that I am running right now, which is a
balid question to subject the State House to the state's
public records law, the Freedom of Information Act, which would
require that all those documents that I've been asking for
(33:36):
in order to conduct this audit, those records would just
be made available to every single resident.
Speaker 4 (33:42):
Of Massachusetts who wants to get access to them.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Cities and towns have to follow the public records law.
My office follows the public records law. This is just
a matter of good government. And again again, like I
said at the beginning, Massachusetts is the only state in
the nation in which the legislature, governor's office, and judiciary
all exempt themselves from having.
Speaker 4 (34:02):
To follow this public records law.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
So if we pass this ballot initiative, I need one
hundred thousand signatures to get this issue on the ballot.
If we pass this ballot initiative, sign at the grocery
stores and you see people collecting signatures. Then we will
pass a law that subjects them to the public records law.
And they might be telling me no right now and
saying no, no, auditor, we're not going to let you
(34:26):
get access to the documents, but they're not going to
tell every resident of the Commonwealth that you don't get
access to the documents. So this is one way that
we can make the government more transparent. I need you to
support on this, and.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
We will help you on that as well. We've got
to take a quick break. I'm going to get to
more calls for Massachusetts State Auditor Diana Dizaglio. Right after this.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
We will carry this into the next hour, I promise,
but we're going to try to get one call in
from Gloria in Salem. Gloria, welcome. You're at the State
Auditor Diana Dezaglio. Go ahead, Gloria, Hi.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
This statement is directed directed at Madame Auditor. I spent
and ironically I did not realize that the ag was
had made a statement that she was running again this year.
I spent literally from nine o'clock this morning to four
(35:30):
o'clock this afternoon on the phones with the AG's office.
You're not going to get any help from those people.
I made something like twelve different calls. Nobody understood provider
insurance fraud, and I was trying to make.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
Make a.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
Whatever.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Well that's a different that's a different issue. What you're saying.
It's a group of people who are not interested in
doing much for anyone exactly.
Speaker 7 (35:59):
And I heard Madam Order say that she was having
trouble with d AG's office. I understand it's a completely
different issue. But she's going to get any help.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Okay, Well that's fine, that's fine. She knows that. So
thank you for underscoring the obvious. But unfortunately, Gloria, I
am flat out a time. This hour is so nat
I got to let you run. Please call more often. Okay,
thank you.
Speaker 7 (36:22):
It just released my eight hours of frustration.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
If I can relieve your frustration, I've done something today,
all right, all right, Diana, how can you say?
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Yeah, Maria, thank you so much for calling and just
to let me know that you share my pain in
trying to get access to some services right now, I'm
sorry about your experience, you know, and I just want
to say, uh, just I wish you well and getting
in touch. I've been trying to get some help. I
(36:55):
cannot get some help either, So we're in the same
boat right now, unfortunately. But thanks.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
How can people help you? How can people get in
touch with you in any way, shape or form. We
have less than about thirty seconds left and I really
appreciate your time, particularly at the end of the y.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
Yeah, please please go to Diana form A dot com
d A A n A f O R m A
dot com. There's a little area somewhere on the web
page where you can just do a contact to contact
me and submit that and let me know if you
want some signature sheets or something like.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
That to help us with this ballot question.
Speaker 6 (37:31):
Dan.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
That's I am moving onto this ballot question for right
now because we have until November seventeenth to get one
on to get seventy five thousand signatures in to the
city Clerk's office to get the issue of subjecting to
data to the Pollo up Records law on the ballot.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
So we need to get to work and keep focusing
on hekay, give me the give me the email at
the address the website one more time.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Okay, It's Diana form a dot com, d A A
N A fo R dot.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
Com and just shot me a quick message or.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Shoot me an email, you know, find.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
A way to shoot me an email, and I can
get you some signature sheets and tell you how to
get involved. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
All right, and what's the deadline of the signatures?
Speaker 3 (38:13):
November seventeenth to the city clerks and town clerk soccer Perfect?
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Okay, Diana, thank you so much for tonight. As always,
we will support you in whatever you're trying to do
here because you're on the side of of you really
are on the side of transparent.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
I'm on the people side.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
On the people side, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
We work hard for our tax dollars. We just want
to know how they're being spent. Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Thanks Diana, Thank you so much for those of you,
the lines stay there. I want to continue this conversation
back after the ten o'clock New
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All Welcome back everyone. Thank you very much, Dan Watkins.
As we move into our nine o'clock hour, and with us,
I'm delighted to be joined by Massachusetts State Auditor Diana Desaglio,
Madam Auditor, Welcome to Nightside. Welcome back, Dan.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
It's great to be back as always, Thanks so much
for having me on.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I know that you are still fighting to audit the
state legislature here in Massachusetts. Most of our listeners, many
of our listeners, don't understand why you haven't been allowed
to perform your functions as auditor and audit the state legislature.
(00:47):
They have basically thrown up a glass wall against you
that you're trying desperately to get around without any help.
It seems to me from any of the other big
political wigs up at the State House. You are fighting
a lonely battle, but you are not quitting.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, quitting is not an option, right Dan. I mean,
we've come this far and there are so many people
who not just voted for this to the tune of
seventy two percent, but think about the folks who took
time out of their lives, their very busy lives and
schedules and sacrifice a lot of time and energy working
(01:31):
really hard on this campaign for Question one to audit
the legislature, collecting over one hundred thousand signatures to get
this issue on the ballot. That is no small feat.
And people came together, Republicans, Democrats, everybody in between across
the political spectrum to say, look, we want good government.
Massachusetts is the least transparent state in the entire nation,
(01:55):
according to most good government groups. In fact, with the
only state in the nation where the legislator, governor's office,
and a judiciary all quim exemptions from the state's public
records laws. We can do better in Massachusetts, and we
need to do better. And I am continuing this fight
because this is something the seventy two percent of the commonwealth.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Said that they wanted.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And oh yeah, Dan, also because it's the law and
we expect lawmakers to follow the law.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, you're not getting any help from the attorney general
who announced today that she intends to stand for reelection.
There's never much doubt about that, but I know that
this was the day that she announced her intention to
run for reelection. She has actually and if I'm mischaracterizing
(02:45):
her actions, feel free to correct me. She actually has
been more of a roadblock than an expediter of this process.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
The Journey General is on the side of legislative leaders
against the will of the peace people in helping them
to block our access to a courtroom to sue to
make sure that this law is followed. Unfortunately, the Attorney
General continues to allege that she can't enforce the law,
that she's unable to somehow do her job because she
(03:18):
needs me to answer more questions, questions Dan, that we've
repeatedly answered over the course of the last year, but
that she has said it's still not enough to get
her to do this job. So I last week stood
on the steps of the Statehouse and called on the
Attorney General if that's true, if it really is true
(03:41):
that I am for some reason not answering questions, or
if she needs more documents then you know we've provided
her with in order to enforce the law and do
her job as Attorney General. Then she needs to sue
even my office and sue me personally if she believes
that we have information that she needs to do her job.
(04:02):
But of course, Dan, we know that's not true. We
know that the Attorney General doesn't need any more information
from my office to be able to do her job.
We know that we've provided her with everything she needs,
and that the Attorney General doesn't need permission from anybody
to enforce the law. She's a constitutional officer. Her job
is to enforce the law. She's the state's top law
enforcement agent of the Commonwealth, and it is her duty,
(04:26):
not an option. It's her duty to enforce the law
and make sure that there's accountability here. But unfortunately, Madam
Attorney General has been unwilling to assist the people on
this front because legislative leaders are so powerful that you know,
they take precedent and their desire to break the law
(04:48):
is unfortunately being put the will of the people and
what the law says.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
So you.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
For those who are trying to you know, stick with
what we're talking about it and you're very clear by
the way in how this sets up. You, as the
state audit of the Commonwealth, want to audit the state legislature,
the House and Senate. I'm assuming you probably are not
having many conversations to try to work out an agreement
(05:20):
or an arrangement with either Speaker Mariano or the Senate
President Karen Spiker. Am I assuming that that there's not
a lot of behind the scenes conversations going.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
On, mister speaker amount of president, don't speak to me unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I'm serious. I say, I'll call it as it is.
That's juvenile. They were an elected official. You're an elected official.
As a matter of fact, you have a larger constituency
than either they do. The Speaker represents two and a
half percent of the state because there are forty state senators.
Mariano represents less than one percent of the state because
(06:01):
there are one hundred and sixty state representatives. You are
one of the six constitutional offices that are elected statewide,
only the governor, only the two US Senators who are
also elected statewide. There's only eight people who are elected
statewide in this commonwealth, and you're one of them. And
they have small constituencies. Oh, they have a bunch of
(06:23):
colleagues who pay homage and respect and genuflect. But what
a scam this is we have going on here in Massachusetts.
And you're the only one is who is looking to
basically open up this can of worms and let's see
what's there.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah, Dan, Look, if you can't take a basic audit
and you need to try to obstruct that work, whether
it's the attorney general of the speaker or is that
a president, my question is what are you hiding?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
What you so afraid of?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And I continue to say this, and look, when we audit,
we generally speaking find some areas of needed improvement. And yes,
sometimes we find unlawful activity, but by and large that's
not the case. And by and large we simply find
areas for improvement, clerical efficiencies to be made, administrative efficiency,
(07:23):
you know, administrative updates to be made to make government
entities operate more efficiently. We'll find if they're you know,
some missing receipts or discrepancies you know, financially speaking, or otherwise.
You know, these are not These are routine audits. We're
required to audit state entities once every three years. We
work hard to make sure that we're helping to make
(07:44):
government work better. We're not the FBI, you know, but
they're treating us as though we're coming in and trying
to confiscate their cell phones or something, you know. Respectfully,
I don't want to see their text messages. That's not
under my purview. You know, so I I am looking
to get access to the financial statements, the financial documents,
(08:05):
the receipts, the contracts and such to be able to
produce the report to tell tax payers what's going on
behind those closed doors with their taxpayer funds. But you
would think that this was an awful scandalous action. And
you know, for anybody to think that, I mean and
be so afraid of an audit, you do have to
wonder what are they hiding because other entities take these audits,
(08:28):
and yes, they can be annoying for these date entities. Certainly,
we don't have agencies taking out pom poms when the
auditors come in and going yay, we're so excited we
get to be audited. You know, that's not what happens.
People do, you know, get annoyed with the process because
it does uncover areas where improvements are needed, and it
(08:49):
can be tough for anyone who's a human being to
take constructive feedback and have to fix things right. But
it's not generally speaking, that big of a deal. It's
a matter of routine. People know, it's part of doing business.
If you're going to run, you know, a state entity
and that's it, and people move forward. They make the improvements,
and everybody's able to move forward. Generally speaking, at the legislature,
(09:12):
it's terrified. They're terrified of opening up their books, Dan,
and people ask to wonder, why, why are they under why?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I can just imagine that if some citizen in Massachusetts
received the letter from the I R S that the
IRS intended to audit them. I kind of imagined that
they would have the ability to say, of the IRS,
oh no, you're not going to audit me, because I'm
a citizen of the co of the Massachusetts anymore than
the Speaker or the or the Senate President. Listen to this.
(09:42):
I know that you're traveling in a car. The audio
is really good. You were out speaking tonight, I believe
in western Massachusetts. Yeah, you're working very hard on behalf
of your your constituents everyone in Massachusetts. I assume that
the twenty eight percent of the people who voted against
(10:02):
the audit of the legislature either are members of the legislature,
work for the legislature, or related to people who either
are members or work for the legislature. Uh, let's get
phone calls. I'm going to take a break, give you
a chance to catch your breath. Thanks for being with us.
I hope that the audio was as good on your
(10:23):
end as it is in ours. And let's go to
phone calls. And I want to ask my audience, do
you or do you not support State Auditor Disauglio in
her efforts to audit the legislature here in Massachusetts as
the voters approved and the voters ordered last election with
(10:44):
a ballot question number one six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three, one ten thirty.
If you feel that the legislature is right and they
shouldn't be audited, you can call, or you don't have
to call. I want to hear from people who feel
that this state auditor is doing the right thing, simply
(11:06):
looking to do her job, and she is facing absolute
stonewalling by the state legislature. Will be back on nightside
the state legislative leadership, because most of the state legislators
probably they don't mind, they wouldn't mind an audit, but
they don't dare speak out, they don't dare get out
of line, because that's not the way the legislature works
(11:28):
in Massachusetts. UH. And by the way, the state auditor
was a member of both the House and the Senate,
as she has risen through the political ranks here in Massachusetts,
so she understands the system as well as anyone six, one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty, six, one, seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty.
And if this doesn't upset you as a as a
(11:48):
voter and as a taxpayer of Massachusetts, then nothing will
just roll over and play dead. Coming back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Way Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
We're talking with Massachusettstate Auditor Dianato Zauglio. Let me ask
you one final question from me, and then we'll go
to phone calls. And if you don't want to answer
this question, that's fine. Have any members of the legislature
without identifying them, come to you quietly and said, you
know what, Auditor, I wish I could support you on
this because you're right, but I can't step out of
(12:25):
line from the leadership.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Have you had any real percent Yeah?
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Yeah, absolutely. Look, Look, and here's what I'll say. You
you hit the nail on head. You said, you know, look,
she served in the legislature. She knows what's going on
up there. I look, I was a state representative for
six years. I was a state senator for four years. Yes,
I was known during that entire time period for bucking
my party's leadership quite often, because frankly, they rule with
(12:54):
an iron fist up there and it's their way or
the highway. And once I figured that out, I said, well,
you know, I'm a Merrimac Valley girl over here, so
we get loud. And you know, that was that. And
my district wanted me to be loud for them, and
they wanted me to fight for them, and that's what
I did. But certainly, you know, even when you're you're
(13:17):
taking on the leadership like that, you know you are
serving and working with a lot of really great human
beings who are doing their best to do their jobs,
but are themselves and we use the word terrified about
the audit. You know, they're they're terrified about what their
leadership is going to do to retaliate against them. Take
(13:38):
away their stipend, take away their office, take away their staff,
and not just punish them Dan, but the speacreins and
a president punish people's communities when legislators step out of line.
So if for example, a state repper, state senator does
something that you know, ticks off the Senate President or
speaker enough, like supporting this audit, for example, they will
(14:02):
retaliate against not just that legislator, they will go after
their funding priorities for their communities. So if they're trying
to get funding for community center, a youth center, a
senior center, a firetruck, you know, just I'm just naming
like different things that they could be trying to get
funding for for their communities. The secrets and a president
are going to turn a blind and eye to that
(14:23):
community and disregard that entire community just because the legislator
has a different opinion than they do on an issue
such as this. So I do often have state reps
and state senators coming to me privately and saying, of
course they're supportive, you know, and then saying to me,
(14:43):
but you understand, you know how it is we're going
to be retaliated against. They're basically like in a hostage
situation up there. You know, It's it's terrible.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Now.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Now, look, there are legislators who feel like they're in
a hostage situation. But then there are legislators who you know,
have like Stockholm syndrome, where you know, they've absolutely just
gotten to the point where they've been there so long
and they're like, you know what, they're like, you know,
I'm just gonna I'm just.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Gonna drink the kool aid willingly at this point and
just along to get along with this a speaker amount
of president because.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
It's not that bad, you know. Yeah, sure they have
to sell out on every vote. They can't stand up
and share their opinion about anything.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
But you know, it's not that bad, and it's actually
really great up there.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
And now defend the speaker and Senate president. Even if
they're getting screwed over, so to speak, in terms of
what they're getting in the budget or what they're getting
for legislation getting passed, they'll still defend the secrets and
a president because it's easier.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
So well that you've just described the Stockholm syndrome perfectly.
When people are held hostage, sometimes they they identify. Obviously
they get brainwashed by their captors. But that's what the
Stockholm syndrome is. Syndrome is and the idea of going along,
(16:02):
you know, to get along. Some of them probably you're saying, gee,
if I can hang in here, someday I might be
in leadership. Who knows, maybe I'll be uh, I'll hold
the gavel.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
You have people who are in there and they have
been treated so poorly, so unbelievably badly.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
They tell me about the.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Bullying, the shaming that they go through, how awful the
leadership came and treated them. But then they'll come to
me and say, well, you know, I can't vote off
because no, I might be up for a vice share
soon and I don't want to mess that up. And
I look at them and I go, you're never going
to move up in that building because you're not at
(16:46):
heart a sellout. And they can smell it on you.
You know, like a lot of these people they want
to be successful so that they can be successful, but
so their districts can be successful as well, but they're
not so and you know, look at the leadership team
can tell you know, it's it's it's they can tell
if they're going to, you know, do every single thing
(17:08):
they want, if they're going.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
To be henchmen or hunch women or not. And so
you have this.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
System where it's kind of crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
But you know, some people do learn.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
To love their captors in there, and they praise the
sequence Senate President for the abuse that is inflicted on
them essentially, which is you know, really crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
But then you have other people who.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Essentially think that there's hope that they'll eventually maybe get
a championship one day, and yet you know, they're really
getting like twenty thousand dollars in the budget and NEVI
get a bill passed. You know, it's been six years,
ten years, and they're still holding out hope. You know,
I feel bad for those folks who are looking at
that and thinking that someday, you.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Know, their district is going to be treated with respect
and they're going to be treated with respect.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
But it does happen.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Dan, And you know, again a lot of.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
These people are good people who are just you know,
scared of retaliation. But then you know some of them
actually want to become part of the bullying themselves, and
you just have to figure out who's who by your
interactions with them.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
And they need more. Diana and Dezaglios in both parties
up there, both Democrats and Republicans. It's it affects both parties. Diana,
I hit the newscast, so I got to do the
quick newscast and we come back. I got full lines,
and I want to I want you to hear from
people and I want them to know that they they're
speaking with you directly. Uh and so thanks, thank you
(18:38):
for doing this. I know it's been a long day,
but God bless you for what you're doing. There's one
person up there, and it is you. Put all the Democrats,
all the Republicans, and if there are any independence aside,
and you're the one that is truly speaking out on
behalf of the entire citizenry of Massachusetts, particularly the seventy
(18:58):
two percent who voted to authorize you to do your
job and just do a simple audit on the state legislature.
And there has to be something that leadership is trying
to hide back with these the state Auditor, Diana Desauglio,
you've heard her, you've talked, you can talk to her.
I only have one line open, which is six, one, seven, nine, three, one,
(19:19):
ten thirty. I'll get to as many of you as
possible for the balance of this hour. Coming back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Night Side with Dan Ray. I'm WBZ Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
My guest is the State Order of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Diana Desauglio, for those who you those of you who
are interested. Diana Desauglio is a Democrat. She was a
Democrat in the House of Representatives, Democrat and the State Senate,
and she is one of the six constitutional officers in Massachusetts.
And she is fighting against the entire bureaucracy, the political bureaucracy,
(19:57):
the POLP bureau, if you will, o polit bureau up
at the State House of Massachusetts, the State Legislature, the
House and Senate. Let's go to the call is going
to go to Bob and Cambridge. Bob, I appreciate your patience.
You were first this hour with the state ordered Diana Desagbia.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
Go right ahead, Bob, Rob, Hello, Hello, Dan, Hello Diana.
I want to tell you that this order in situation
that Diana has caught up and in doing very well with,
is one big sham. The sham is the old boy
network up on the hill. And the person that should
(20:33):
be reprimanded or censured here is the top waity car
from not sticking her nose and then trying out.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Why well, Diana, the top police officer in the car
health is the Attorney General. And I think that Rob
has identified at least part of the problem.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Yeah, I mean, look, a lot of folks. Sorry, Bob,
do you want to say something the gun.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Yeah, it's getting little old, you know what I mean,
it's got something's got to be done. It's getting too old.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
No, no, really, no, one's fighting hard and good. Diana
disaugly Mad a monitor. You want to comment on his
reference to the Attorney general who announced reelect her effort
for reelection today.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Yeah, and look, I understand your frustration. I you know,
I would be remiss not to say that many times
I just did feel like throwing in the towel with
this because it is a circus up there, and you know,
it is non stop, uh, just gamesmanship with a lot
(21:39):
of these folks. And they're all friends, right, so they're
talking behind the scenes, they're working together to break the law.
It's not okay. The Attorney General needs to do her job.
She refuses to do it, you know, and deflects to
what's happening at the federal level every time she's you know,
spoken to about this. You know, there is a job
to be done at the federal level for or I
(22:00):
think we all can recognize that. But there's also a
job to do here in Massachusetts. You know, we need
the law to be enforced here in our home state,
and we need our politicians to follow the law, and
that's not too much to ask. So we're trying to
get access to court. We are going to continue to
push for this, and we're suing, by the way, Bob,
(22:22):
we are suing. We have our own attorney that we
have secured at no cost to the taxpayer, and we
are trying to get access to the court. The Attorney
General is fighting us every step of the way and
saying that she's going to seek to get this dismissed
from court. But we're trying to get access to court
despite her fighting against us, and we hope that when
we do get access to court, that a judge will
(22:44):
side with the people of the commonwealth and not the politicians.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
And by the way, I have a list of names
of my listeners who have volunteered to join a class
action lawsuit if one is filed, or if there is
and attorney out there who's willing to entertain such a filing.
Because the will of seventy two percent seventy one point
(23:09):
six percent of the voters in the Cornwalth of Massachusetts
is not only being ignored but it's being rebuffed by
the legislative leadership, the Speaker Mariano and the Senate President Spoker.
And by the way, it would be interesting if either
of these individuals either lost reelection that would send a
(23:31):
message through the Commonwealth that would be the days of
the old Boys or the Old Girls network should be over. Bob.
Thank you so much, Rob, thank you for your call.
Appreciate it very very much.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Bob, good night, good night.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
Let me keep rolling again.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Going to go to Ronnie in Plymouth. Ronnie, you are
next on nightside with State Auditor Diana Dezaglio.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
Yes, greeting. I know within your office, the Auditor's office,
you have an investing if you're a correct Diana, we have.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
A Bureau of Special Investigations that does look into individual
fraud circumstances for people potentially abusing snap benefits, CVT cards,
mass health and that sort of thing.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
Why can't you recruit the help of the Inspected General
in maybe the Revenue Department instat looking into some of
these people some of their personal business, look at their
tax return.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
That that well, that's beyond discovering her authority.
Speaker 6 (24:35):
I believe that That's why I'm asking her if you
can recruit the Inspected General in the Revenue Department to
assist her in this.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Yeah, thank you so much for the thanks so much
for the great question, and Dan, I got it. Thank
you so much, Ronnie. So what the issue is is
that you are correct. So my office cannot do that
sort of thing. We can't access people's personal tax returns.
We don't have that type of authority. And we also
don't have of criminal investigatory authorities. So I'm glad that
we're talking about the word investigation because I think a
(25:06):
lot of people, you know, they'll they'll hear the word auditor,
and when they think of audits, they might think, you
know that it's a little bit more than what it is.
You obviously know that an audit's an audit, right, not
a not a criminal investigation, and that the Inspector General,
with the Inspector General, is indeed someone who can do
those types of investigations, and we do work with the
(25:29):
Inspector General. It's my understanding that the Inspector General feels
that their office does not have purview over the legislature,
that it is the Attorney General's office who has purview
over the legislature. To conduct those types of investigations. And unfortunately,
we're back to square one when it comes to that
because I am trying to recruit the Attorney General because
(25:52):
she does have that type of authority that the Inspector
General says that they don't have. There that the Attorney
General's refusing. So it's a Fortunately we're back to square one,
but totally hard. And look, if there's any work that
we can do with the Instructor General, certainly we'll we'll
look into that and see what can be done.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Thank you, ran, great question, appreciate you call six. Let
me get one more in here before we got to
go to the break. I'm going to go to uh,
Peter uh in West Roxby. Pete, you're next on night
side with the State of Artith the Cormwalth of Massachusetts.
Diana des Ogle, go right ahead, Pete.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
How you doing both?
Speaker 6 (26:31):
Push?
Speaker 5 (26:33):
I have a question, why don't you run for higher
office against the Attorney General?
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Well, first, you'd be able to do this. First of all,
she is a constitutional officer. Uh, and uh, she she
has run statewide. Pete. You know she could run I
guess for governor if she wanted to. But at the
same time, that's not what.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
I think that would be to be able to stop
the audit right into a higher position.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Well, well, I think it. I think what you're proposing
is a don Quyxote sort of run. If it then
would be perceived as a personal grievance, and it's not
a personal grievance that the state ordered it has she
has behind her a vote of seventy one point six
(27:23):
seventy degree okay, and for her for her to surrender
the auditor, Madam honored, I'll let you in here, but
I just want to defend you a little bit here.
It is not up to her to literally run against
the Attorney general or the governor. She is doing everything
she possibly can in the position to which she was elected.
(27:46):
For her to abandon that post would be a fool's errand,
and Diana des Ugly is no one's fool. Go ahead, and.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Thanks so much. And Pete, Pete, great question. Thank you
for calling in. I think that you know it's important
to say I'm not an attorney and that's why I
didn't run for attorney general. You do, you know it's
important to make sure we have a strong attorney in
the role of attorney general. I don't have legal training
(28:18):
in that capacity to be able to you know, sue
different entities and all of that. I ran for State
Auditor because this is the role where I could utilize
my experience working on the state budget as a legislator
previously and really understanding the ends and outs of that
state budget process and that legislative process to look at
(28:42):
the policies and the procedures and some of those financial
components in different state agencies and departments. And you know,
after serving ten years as a legislator working on that
state budget, running for state auditor was the place where
I thought that I could make a bigger difference with
a greater play platform on a lot of the issues
that I've been working on previously. And that's you know
(29:04):
what I'm doing right now. But I would not run
for attorney general. I am not an attorney uh And
I do think it's important that we have someone in
there who do who does you know, have that skill set?
But thank you for Paul, And yes.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Are you afraid that they'll primary you because you're not
playing ball with them?
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Well, I mean, look, I totally hear you, and that's
totally again.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
You know, yes, I got it.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
I appreciate it. I look, they can do whatever they want, right,
but the people have spoken, and I trust that the
people of the Commonwealth, you know, have the backs of
the people who are working hard to serve them in
the right way and who are making the right decisions.
(29:58):
And you know, look, they is a They ran very
hard against me when I ran for this seat. They
endorsed against me, the Senate president through a rally on
the stairs of the State House for my primary opponent.
You know, while I was the youngest woman serving in
the state Senate, my Senate president through a rally and
(30:19):
got all the women in the legislature to rally against
me to try to try to ensure that I didn't
win this election. But you, the voters, you made your decision.
You knew who you wanted is your state auditor. And
you know, I'm not afraid of these folks. And I
know a lot of people are afraid of the Senate President.
(30:41):
They're afraid of the speaker. Frankly, I think they need
to be afraid of you, the voters right now. I
think that they should be the ones who are put
on the defense for breaking the law, and that we
just need to keep not shrinking back and showing them
that we have courage, that we're not afraid of them,
and then we're going to stand up for what's right
(31:02):
even if they retaliate. And if they want to retaliate,
let them. We're gonna let me.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Let me jump in for one second. Pete. I want
to challenge you. And here's what my challenge to you is.
You should find out who your state senator is and
who your state representative is. You should call them and
tell them that unless this audit of the legislature occurs
under the direction of the Auditor Diana Desaglio, you will
(31:28):
find and never vote for them again. And if enough
people tell the legislators, they will never vote for them
again until this audit is allowed, that will do more
than anything else to allow this audit to go forward.
That's the challenge for each and every citizen in Massachusetts.
You voted, you told them what you wanted, and now
(31:48):
they're spitting in your face. Pete, I got a run
comes I'm white past my break, but I thank you
for your call.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Okay, dam yeah, yes, go ahead, I.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Am here, Yes, I don't cut people off.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
Go ahead, Okay.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
The problem with that is west Roxbury. It's it's the
conservative west Roxbury is no longer and they don't care
what we think. The bike lanes was a perfect example
of that.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
All you have to Yeah, Pete, I agree with you.
I had a conversation about that today with someone from
West Roxbury. But do your part, do your part. You
voted for the audience, do your part. Thanks Pete. I
got to run, I got other calls and I got
a break coming up. Here's a break back. A yes, yes, Diana,
go ahead.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Do you have a moment for me to just say
what somebody can do? Because yes, yes, pe if look
if people feel and thank you Pete for just raising
your concerns that you don't feel like your voice is
being hard. I don't blame you for feeling.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Like your voice is not being hard because we.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Have seventy two percent of the Commonwealth being told that
their vote doesn't matter right now by overly powerful politicians
who think that you don't count. And that's not okaycount.
And here's another way you can let your voice be heard.
We're going to keep coming at them with everything we have.
If they want to ignore a balid question, we're going
(33:08):
to pass another one. If they want to ignore that,
we're going to pass another one.
Speaker 4 (33:12):
We're going to keep.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Coming at them until they do what they're supposed to do.
We just can't give up. And what I'm asking people
to do is to consider please supporting the next ballot
question that I am running right now, which is a
balid question to subject the State House to the state's
public records law, the Freedom of Information Act, which would
require that all those documents that I've been asking for
(33:36):
in order to conduct this audit, those records would just
be made available to every single resident.
Speaker 4 (33:42):
Of Massachusetts who wants to get access to them.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Cities and towns have to follow the public records law.
My office follows the public records law. This is just
a matter of good government. And again again, like I
said at the beginning, Massachusetts is the only state in
the nation in which the legislature, governor's office, and judiciary
all exempt themselves from having.
Speaker 4 (34:02):
To follow this public records law.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
So if we pass this ballot initiative, I need one
hundred thousand signatures to get this issue on the ballot.
If we pass this ballot initiative, sign at the grocery
stores and you see people collecting signatures. Then we will
pass a law that subjects them to the public records law.
And they might be telling me no right now and
saying no, no, auditor, we're not going to let you
(34:26):
get access to the documents, but they're not going to
tell every resident of the Commonwealth that you don't get
access to the documents. So this is one way that
we can make the government more transparent. I need you to
support on this, and.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
We will help you on that as well. We've got
to take a quick break. I'm going to get to
more calls for Massachusetts State Auditor Diana Dizaglio. Right after this.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
We will carry this into the next hour, I promise,
but we're going to try to get one call in
from Gloria in Salem. Gloria, welcome. You're at the State
Auditor Diana Dezaglio. Go ahead, Gloria, Hi.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
This statement is directed directed at Madame Auditor. I spent
and ironically I did not realize that the ag was
had made a statement that she was running again this year.
I spent literally from nine o'clock this morning to four
(35:30):
o'clock this afternoon on the phones with the AG's office.
You're not going to get any help from those people.
I made something like twelve different calls. Nobody understood provider
insurance fraud, and I was trying to make.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
Make a.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
Whatever.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Well that's a different that's a different issue. What you're saying.
It's a group of people who are not interested in
doing much for anyone exactly.
Speaker 7 (35:59):
And I heard Madam Order say that she was having
trouble with d AG's office. I understand it's a completely
different issue. But she's going to get any help.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Okay, Well that's fine, that's fine. She knows that. So
thank you for underscoring the obvious. But unfortunately, Gloria, I
am flat out a time. This hour is so nat
I got to let you run. Please call more often. Okay,
thank you.
Speaker 7 (36:22):
It just released my eight hours of frustration.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
If I can relieve your frustration, I've done something today,
all right, all right, Diana, how can you say?
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Yeah, Maria, thank you so much for calling and just
to let me know that you share my pain in
trying to get access to some services right now, I'm
sorry about your experience, you know, and I just want
to say, uh, just I wish you well and getting
in touch. I've been trying to get some help. I
(36:55):
cannot get some help either, So we're in the same
boat right now, unfortunately. But thanks.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
How can people help you? How can people get in
touch with you in any way, shape or form. We
have less than about thirty seconds left and I really
appreciate your time, particularly at the end of the y.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
Yeah, please please go to Diana form A dot com
d A A n A f O R m A
dot com. There's a little area somewhere on the web
page where you can just do a contact to contact
me and submit that and let me know if you
want some signature sheets or something like.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
That to help us with this ballot question.
Speaker 6 (37:31):
Dan.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
That's I am moving onto this ballot question for right
now because we have until November seventeenth to get one
on to get seventy five thousand signatures in to the
city Clerk's office to get the issue of subjecting to
data to the Pollo up Records law on the ballot.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
So we need to get to work and keep focusing
on hekay, give me the give me the email at
the address the website one more time.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Okay, It's Diana form a dot com, d A A
N A fo R dot.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
Com and just shot me a quick message or.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Shoot me an email, you know, find.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
A way to shoot me an email, and I can
get you some signature sheets and tell you how to
get involved. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
All right, and what's the deadline of the signatures?
Speaker 3 (38:13):
November seventeenth to the city clerks and town clerk soccer Perfect?
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Okay, Diana, thank you so much for tonight. As always,
we will support you in whatever you're trying to do
here because you're on the side of of you really
are on the side of transparent.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
I'm on the people side.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
On the people side, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
We work hard for our tax dollars. We just want
to know how they're being spent. Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Thanks Diana, Thank you so much for those of you,
the lines stay there. I want to continue this conversation
back after the ten o'clock New
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.