A Brave Democrat Fights Corruption in Her Own Party

Massachusetts is the only state where the legislature, the courts, and the governor’s office are largely exempt from public-records laws that require transparency. The Boston Herald says that Massachusetts has “the least transparent state government in the U.S.,” prompting the national Society of Professional Journalists to give the Bay State this year’s infamous “Black Hole” award — referring to the difficulty of gleaning any information about the state government’s inner workings.

The situation is so dire that Diana DiZoglio, the elected Democratic state auditor, is taking her party’s legislative leaders to court after she uncovered $12 million in alleged welfare fraud. She notes that the legislature has not been audited since 1922. Evidence of abuses piled up high enough that, in 2024, 72 percent of state voters supported a ballot question to conduct such audits. But the legislature has refused to comply, citing separation of powers, and the state’s attorney general has defended the legislature's position.

“The legislature audits the executive branch,” responds DiZoglio. “But when the executive branch tries to provide a check back on the legislature, they say, No, no, an audit for thee but not for me.” “What are they hiding?” she asks. “Let’s do this audit.”

Republicans believe that if Massachusetts Democrats continue to stubbornly reject an audit, it might help the GOP make gains in the November midterm elections. The state is deep-blue, but more than 65 percent of voters are registered as independents. Moreover, the state has had GOP governors for 24 of the past 36 years, which can act as a check on one-party rule. That check has never been more needed, as many blue states — and even a few red ones (I’m looking at you, Louisiana and South Carolina) — have avoided accountability or transparency for their spending.

In 2024, for example, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that was passed unanimously by his state’s legislature and would have required reports on how $24 billion in public programs for the homeless was spent. The state’s auditor found that Newsom’s agencies didn’t collect any data on whether their policies worked or not. California was once a national leader in requiring public officials to conduct their business in the open. No more. And California is not alone. Hundreds of state workers at the Minnesota Department of Human Services have publicly accused Democratic Governor Tim Walz of tolerating "massive fraud" and retaliating against whistleblowers.

This why the Trump administration is suspending federal payments to several states until they open their books and take a serious look at their welfare spending. Liberals should wake up and realize that the only way to maintain public support for the government programs they profess to cherish is to demonstrate that the money budgeted for them is spent judiciously, honestly, and effectively.