| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity and Lisa Kashinsky | With help from Kyle Cheney ‘I’M BEING INDICTED FOR YOU’ — Michael St. Pierre used a megaphone to encourage people to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and threatened to “grab Nancy Pelosi by the hair,” authorities say. Now the Swansea resident is due to appear next week before the same federal judge who just arraigned Donald Trump. The former president and his loyalists now find themselves on tandem legal tracks over their efforts to disrupt Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results. And Trump is leaning into the connection as he looks to rally his supporters in the wake of his third criminal indictment — and with a fourth potentially looming in Georgia. “I’m being indicted for you,” Trump told raucous rally-goers in Windham, N.H., yesterday, using a phrase that’s become a crux of his 2024 message as his legal woes mount.
|  Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Tuesday Aug. 8, 2023, at Windham High School in Windham, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) | AP | It’s red meat for the MAGA base — even as a growing number of Massachusetts residents are facing charges over their actions on Jan. 6. According to the FBI, 29 people from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine have been arrested for crimes committed during the Capitol riot. At least 12 of them are from Massachusetts. How far along they are in the legal process varies. Some cases — like that of St. Pierre, who was taken into custody at the end of July and charged with a felony offense of civil disorder and several misdemeanors — are just starting to wind their way through court. Others have pleaded guilty, including Chase Allen, a self-described documentarian from Seekonk who was sentenced to 14 days in prison, and Stefanie Chiguer of Dracut. And a handful have ended up behind bars. Suzanne Ianni, a former Natick town official who was seen on surveillance video marching through the Capitol and who helped organize buses to D.C. for fellow members of the right-wing group “Super Happy Fun America,” served 15 days in prison and was released in February. (Mark Sahady, the vice president of “Super Happy Fun America” — the group behind the 2019 “straight pride parade” in Boston — is facing charges.) Troy Sargent of Pittsfield is set to be released at the end of the month, after initially being served a 14-month sentence. Sargent, who authorities say struck a cop, is set to face two years of supervised release. And Vincent Gillespie isn’t expected to be released until around the time of the presidential primaries — in 2028. The Athol resident and son of a famous artist was sentenced in April to 68 months in prison after prosecutors say he got a hold of a police shield and used it to ram officers guarding the building, screaming “traitor” and “treason” at them. But Somerville resident Noah Bacon, the nephew of former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Frank McNamara Jr. who was seen wearing an “I heart Trump” T-shirt in the U.S. Senate chamber on Jan. 6, is appealing after he was sentenced last month to a year in federal prison. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. It looks like it’s finally budget-signing day ... 39 days late. Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll are holding a media availability about the fiscal year 2024 budget at 11 a.m. at the State House. TODAY — Driscoll chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at noon. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joins a rally in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike at 3:45 p.m. on the Boston Common. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark hosts a telephone town hall for district residents at 6 p.m. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com.
| | | | A NEW PODCAST FROM POLITICO: Our new POLITICO Tech podcast is your daily download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy around the world. From AI and the metaverse to disinformation and cybersecurity, POLITICO Tech explores how today’s technology is shaping our world — and driving the policy decisions, innovations and industries that will matter tomorrow. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — HEALEY’S MIGRANT MOVES: Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency on Tuesday over the “rapidly rising” number of migrants in Massachusetts. She’s aiming to accomplish two things: speed up efforts to find housing for the more than 5,500 families in the state’s emergency shelter system and pressure the Biden administration to expedite work permits for asylum-seekers. “We’ve been expanding and continuing to look for housing and shelter opportunities, expanding shelter at a rapid pace. And it’s unsustainable,” the governor said at a State House press conference announcing the first emergency declaration of her tenure. “We need action to remove barriers and expedite federal work authorizations. We need action and intervention for funding to help us in this time.” Healey appealed to landlords, houses of worship and even private residents to open their doors to migrants, with more than 20,000 people in the shelter system and the state spending $45 million a month on programs for migrant and homeless families. She also sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the federal government to speed up the work authorization process — and slammed what she described as “a federal crisis of inaction that is many years in the making.” More from Lisa and Kelly. — From GBH’s Katie Lannan and Sarah Betancourt: “Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll also announced the creation of the Massachusetts Migrant Families Relief Fund, a partnership between the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and The Boston Foundation, kickstarted with donations of $100,000 from Eastern Bank and $50,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield. The fund, Healey's office said, will help meet migrants' essential needs, including food, diapers, transportation and hygiene items, plus other assistance like English classes, legal assistance and health screenings.” — “‘Right-to-shelter’ law is unique to Massachusetts. It has a long history,” by Samantha J. Gross and Mike Damiano, Boston Globe. — “Probe into use of nondisclosure agreements across state government will include Massport,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “The state auditor has launched an investigation of the use of settlements and nondisclosure agreements by state and quasi-governmental agencies, including the Massachusetts Port Authority.” — “State Rep. John Barrett leads charge against secrecy in the state Department of Public Utilities. 'Nobody knows what they’re doing,' he says,” by Jane Kaufman, Berkshire Eagle. — "Galvin and SEC plan to keep an eye on Wall Street AI," by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe. — "Head of Massachusetts child welfare agency to leave for D.C. advocacy organization," by Jason Laughlin, Boston Globe.
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “Boston city councilor says street sweepers used at Mass and Cass may spread diseases,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “City Councilor Erin Murphy has filed a hearing order to look into whether street cleaning equipment used in the area of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue is spreading infectious diseases to other parts of Boston.” —“Scant details and unresolved questions remain in Boston’s high school plan,” by Deanna Pan, Boston Globe.
| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL | | — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: IBEW Local 103 has endorsed Enrique Pepén for District 5 Boston city councilor, over incumbent Ricardo Arroyo and challengers Jean-Claude Sanon and Jose Ruiz. — “In City Council money race, FitzGerald tops them all in July,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “As a public employee, John FitzGerald is limited in what he can do to raise money for his District 3 City Council campaign. The longtime Boston Planning and Redevelopment Authority official can’t make fundraising phone calls and he can’t personally accept money for the campaign, among other restrictions. But that didn’t stop his campaign from pulling in a massive sum in just one month. At $87,000, the number that rivals what mayoral candidates and longtime city councillors pull in.” — “Racist effigy left at Black candidate's sign in Everett,” by Liz Neisloss, GBH News: “An Everett City Council candidate wants to know who left a racist effigy beneath one of her campaign signs. Guerline Alcy, who is Black and a 30-year resident of the city, was alerted to the vandalism by a friend who shared a photo with her."
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | DAY IN COURT | | — “Boston man files lawsuit seeking to bankrupt white supremacist group he says assaulted him,” by Mark Pratt, Associated Press: “Charles Murrell III, of Boston, was in the area of the Boston Public Library to play his saxophone on July 2, 2022, when he was surrounded by members of the Patriot Front and assaulted in a ‘coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack,’ according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston.” — “White male business owners are suing Mass. for discrimination in pandemic relief program,” by Shirley Leung, Boston Globe.
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — “Eversource leaves the American Gas Association to focus on ‘decarbonization’,” by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: “New England's largest energy utility, Eversource, has parted ways with the American Gas Association — a powerful industry group that environmentalists say has been instrumental in blocking efforts to address climate change around the country.” — “State gets fed funding for green building codes,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the state $3.9 million in clean energy grant money that will be offered to cities and towns that want to adopt the new building codes, improve energy in affordable housing projects and other related purposes.”
| | FROM THE 413 | | — “Second bias complaint filed against Amherst school district,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “For the second time this summer, a Black woman who has worked for the Amherst public schools has filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination alleging discrimination by the district and its leaders.”
| | | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE | | | — A TALE OF TWO TOWN HALLS: Donald Trump and Chris Christie traded barbs — and feasted on each other’s food habits — at back-to-back town halls in New Hampshire on Tuesday that could be the closest the two come to sharing a stage if the former president follows through on skipping the first debate later this month. The highly personal insults come at a critical time for both candidates. Trump returned to the first primary state on the heels of his third indictment looking to discredit the criminal cases against him and rally his supporters. Christie is preparing for a debate that he hopes will boost his candidacy — but that could go forward without his favorite foil. — More: “Trump on possible court-ordered limits: ‘They’re not taking away my First Amendment rights’,” by Kelly Garrity, POLITICO: “A court-ordered muzzle could be imminent for Trump, after the current GOP front-runner appeared to declare that he’s ‘coming after’ those he views as responsible for his myriad legal challenges. … But Trump said Tuesday that he didn’t care, calling the charges against him ‘bullshit’ and accusing President Joe Biden of ‘weaponizing’ the Justice Department to take out a political rival.”
| | MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND | | — "Board of Elections votes to review all signatures submitted by Matos campaign," by Melanie DaSilva, Alexandra Leslie, Ted Nesi, WPRI: "The R.I. Board of Elections on Tuesday voted 5-to-2 to review all signatures submitted by the Sabina Matos campaign on its nomination papers, although it remains unclear whether the action will have any effect on her name appearing on the ballot."
| | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | | TRANSITIONS — Attorney General Andrea Campbell has appointed Dr. Alecia McGregor to serve on the Board of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, the first such appointment of her tenure. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY — to Peter Panos, who celebrated Monday. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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