BOSTON — Republican lawmakers are calling on Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey to explain how one of her aides, LaMar Cook, was hired despite a criminal past, after his recent arrest on cocaine trafficking charges.
Cook, who served as deputy director of Healey’s Western Massachusetts office, was arrested last week and later fired. GOP leaders said his case raises “serious questions” about the administration’s vetting and hiring process.
In a letter to the governor on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Bradley Jones, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, and 24 other Republican lawmakers urged Healey to disclose the details of Cook’s 2023 hiring, including who recommended him for the role. They noted reports linking Cook, 45, to a 2001 Springfield shooting and other assault and firearm charges.
“Any one of these charges would have been sufficient grounds for disqualification,” the letter read. “How is it possible that these serious criminal charges went undetected during your administration’s vetting process?”
The lawmakers also requested a review of hiring procedures across the executive branch to “restore public trust” and ensure “future hires are held to the highest ethical standards.”
GOP candidates seize on controversy
The arrest has quickly become a political flashpoint ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial race.
Republican candidate Brian Shortsleeve questioned whether Healey ignored warning signs, saying, “What did Healey know, and when did she know it?” He demanded the release of Cook’s background check, personnel records, and incident logs, accusing the administration of “stonewalling.”
Another contender, Mike Kennealy, called the incident “a disgrace for our state,” claiming it reflects “Healey’s failed leadership and inability to hire competent, ethical staff.”
Candidate Mike Minogue echoed those concerns, calling for an independent investigation, arguing, “The Healey Administration shouldn’t be investigating itself. Accountability does not exist in the current one-party system.”
Court records reveal details of drug probe
According to court documents, investigators intercepted nearly eight kilograms of suspected cocaine intended for delivery to the Springfield State Office Building. A State Police trooper posed as a delivery driver and met Cook outside the facility on Oct. 24.
Authorities also linked the case to an earlier Kentucky seizure of 12 kilograms of cocaine bound for Hotel UMass in Amherst, where Cook previously worked.
Cook has pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail after a dangerousness hearing. He has since petitioned to revisit bail.
Healey calls arrest a ‘huge betrayal of trust’
Speaking on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio,” Healey said she was “shocked and angry” upon learning of Cook’s arrest.
“It’s a huge betrayal of trust,” she said. “For those of us who work hard in government, and for the people of Springfield, frankly. As soon as I learned of it, he was terminated before he was even arraigned.”
The district attorney’s office continues to investigate the case.
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