Attorney General Martha Coakley today defended her decision to settle with — rather than prosecute — a politically wired lobbying firm over allegations it profited from an inappropriate contingency fee agreement with a Boston hospital.
“I think that was a fair resolution,” Coakley told the Herald. “Looking at the particular statutes and evidence we had, we felt this was the appropriate resolution that put the money back. But we didn’t really find wrongdoing or any intentional behavior, and so we felt this was fair. … I know from my work on the criminal and civil side, we can only work … with the tools we have.”
The Brennan Group agreed to pay back $100,000 to Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton to settle allegations it violated lobbying laws by charging a contingency fee, Coakley’s office announced last week.
The July 2006 inappropriate arrangement led to the hospital paying Brennan Group about $370,000, according to Coakley’s office.
Asked directly whether Coakley herself has any political connection to the Brennan Group, Coakley told the Herald John Brennan, the firm’s founder, had contributed to her previous campaigns and she knows him.
“I know Jack from when I ran for (Middlesex County) DA and Attorney General,” said Coakley. “I believe if I checked, he’s probably made contributions to us. But I’m very comfortable in this situation and other situations that we did what we think is fair.”
Brennan himself donated $200 to Coakley’s AG campaign in 2006, according to state campaign finance records. Four other Brennan Group lobbyists contributed a total of $800 to Coakley between 2006 and 2008, records show.
A Coakley campaign spokeswoman later said Brennan has not contributed to Coakley’s gubernatorial campaign.
“Certainly in this instance, that had no influence on the decision we made in this particular case,” said Coakley. “Unfortunately, these elections come every four years … and I can’t dictate the timing.”
Brennan was a state senator and representative for 14 years and, according to his bio on his company’s website, he “served on many key committees and special task forces throughout his Senate career” — including legislative redistricting, judiciary and state government reform, small business promotion, and environmental protections.
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