Ocean State Today

Today, Attorney General Peter Neronha and the Rhode Island State Police issued a report on their investigation into the state's awarding of a contract to the ILO Group. The report reveals that Governor McKee "personally and directly intervened" in directing a multimillion-dollar contract to the ILO Group.

Although no charges were filed under the state’s bribery statute, Common Cause Rhode Island disagrees with the Attorney General's conclusion regarding Governor McKee's actions in relation to the state's Code of Ethics. They argue that the Attorney General is not responsible for prosecuting violations of this law; instead, it is the responsibility of the staff at the Rhode Island Ethics Commission. The group believes that the legal analysis provided by the Attorney General is incomplete because it only considers part of the Code of Ethics.

John Marion, Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island, stated: "No Rhode Islander should feel good about what they read in this report. The Governor and every elected official are stewards of taxpayer resources. That is why state contracts should be awarded to vendors who provide the best service to the people of the state, not to those politically connected."

Common Cause Rhode Island plans to review whether Governor McKee may have breached other sections of the Code of Ethics. Marion emphasized: "There’s no question that we must curb the influence of money in politics and that important effort has been made more difficult by U.S. Supreme Court’s recent public corruption decisions, as described in the report."

He further noted: "But we are not without our own tools to break big money’s grip." In 2024, Common Cause Rhode Island advocated for reforms aimed at tightening campaign finance laws which could address issues like those highlighted in today's report. Marion concluded by urging collaboration to strengthen laws protecting taxpayers.