The Boston Globe reports the MassGOP request for a special ethics investigation on Speaker Sal DiMasi.
"As House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi yesterday defended and even lauded his own actions, a state Republican Party official asked the Massachusetts Ethics Commission to investigate him for playing golf with a Suffolk Downs executive at the same time the track's owners are vying for a license to operate a casino in East Boston.
Joseph O'Donnell acknowledged playing golf with DiMasi on two recent occasions at a pair of exclusive South Florida clubs. He initially said DiMasi did not pay when he accompanied him to the Floridian Yacht & Golf Club in Palm City, but later told the Globe he would send DiMasi a bill.
"According to your website . . . elected officials may not accept anything worth $50 or more from anyone with whom you have official dealings," Robert Willington, executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party, wrote to the ethics panel.
"It is well known that Speaker DiMasi has opposed legalized gambling, and Joe O'Donnell has publicly confirmed that he has lobbied in favor of legalized gambling while golfing with Speaker DiMasi," the letter continued.
"The mission of the Massachusetts Ethics Commission is to foster integrity in government and promote public trust," the letter continued. "It is for those reasons . . . that I request an immediate investigation into Speaker Sal DiMasi's activities."
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