The Boston Globe (here’s a link) highlights an extraordinarily far-reaching and audacious scheme by a Boston law firm to circumvent state and federal campaign finance rules.

The story points out that former state representative and assistant majority leader Garrett Bradley, long a partner at the firm, Thornton Associates, abandoned his State House duties in quite a hurry to take the reins of the firm after the Globe started sniffing around.

What you won’t read, and we wanted to be sure you know, is Bradley sponsored H543, an infamous bill aimed at curtailing political speech passed in the dead of a hot July night. Insiders, including Boston Globe reporters, called it the “MassFiscal” bill. Its sole intent was curtailing our ability to communicate our mission.

Like most of the bills the Beacon Hill Establishment pass, H543 turned out to be ineffective. MassFiscal is stronger than ever.

Today, we called on the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) to fully investigate the illegal laundering of corporate contributions through Garrett Bradley’s law firm. The Bradley scheme boldly circumvents this prohibition. Contributions received by candidates and organizations regulated by OCPF would, in fact, be tainted. Such contributions must be returned as part of restitution, as the monies constitute an unfair advantage. The Bradley scheme may be the largest campaign finance law violation committed by a state lawmaker.

To read a copy of our letter to OCPF, click here.

To download a copy of the complete list of donation records to state candidates by Garrett Bradley and Michael Thornton, click here. 

To download a copy of the list of donation records to incumbent officeholders by Garrett Bradley and Michael Thornton, click here.