Today Governor McKee held a news conference responding to the release of reports on the ILO Group investigation and gave Common Cause Rhode Island permission to file a complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission. The following is a statement from John Marion, Common Cause Rhode Island Executive Director: 

“Common Cause Rhode Island doesn’t need anyone’s permission to hold power accountable. We continue to review the material produced by the State Police and the Attorney General and will decide in the coming days whether to file a complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission.

Whether or not Common Cause Rhode Island files an ethics complaint, it’s clear that the General Assembly needs to pass, and the governor needs to sign, legislation that prevents political interference with the bidding process. We are actively working on legislation that will give those bidding on business from the state confidence that they are competing on a level playing field.

Rhode Island also needs to pass Common Cause Rhode Island’s campaign finance legislation, first introduced in 2024, that tightens up the limits on in-kind contributions. We’re working to beef up that legislation for the 2025 session and we will urge the General Assembly to pass it and the governor to sign it into law.

Finally, we need to look at how Governor McKee hired, but seemingly has not yet paid, the state’s most powerful lobbyist, who is also the former Speaker of the House, to be his personal attorney. Everyday Rhode Islanders don’t get legal representation based on a promise to pay.” 

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