Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy is pledging to release all documents and information related to LaMar Cook the embattled former aide to Gov. Maura Healey charged with drug trafficking and weapons violations if he is elected. Kennealy said the release would include all emails, text messages, personnel files, and internal communications related to Cook, who was the Healey administration’s Western Massachusetts deputy director when he was arrested last month in a major drug trafficking bust in Springfield. Cook was charged with trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. He had worked in the Healey administration since 2023, and there have been growing demands from the public for the governor to provide information on the hiring practices that led to Cook’s employment. “It is abhorrent that Governor Healey refuses to release documentation about how LaMar Cook was hired. Cook was hand-picked by Healey, despite having 2001 gun charges on his record, and he was later arrested for trafficking massive amounts of cocaine through her Western Massachusetts office,” Kennealy told the Herald. “If I was Governor, my first question is simple: What went wrong? And my first action would be to show the public every step we’re taking to fix it.” Kennealy said the goal of releasing the information would be to detail exactly what Healey and her staff knew about Cook’s past and the vetting process that led to his appointment. A Herald request for information on Cook’s background check was denied by the Healey administration earlier this month. The Herald is appealing the denial with the Secretary of State. In rejecting the Herald’s request, the administration said state law “exempts from public disclosure ‘personnel and medical files or information; also any other materials or data relating to a specifically named individual, the disclosure of which may constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.’” “Right now, we’re getting stonewalling instead of answers” said Kennealy. “The people of Massachusetts deserve the truth not secrecy, not political spin, and not a Governor who hides critical information from the public. We must get to the bottom of what Governor Healey is concealing. And I pledge this: When I’m Governor, every document will be released and the citizens of this Commonwealth will finally get the truth.” The gubernatorial candidate also emphasized his respect for public records laws and transparent government as essential tools to rebuilding trust. Kennealy said Healey’s refusal to comply with public records requests on Cook “raises serious questions about judgment, accountability, and leadership at the highest level of state government.” Fellow Republican gubernatorial candidates Brian Shortsleeve and Mike Minogue also criticized the governor following Cook’s arrest and have called on her to release all information related to how he was hired. “What did Healey know, and when did she know it?” Shortsleeve asked in a statement. “The people deserve to know whether this criminal activity was utterly undetected or whether serious red flags were ignored or covered up.” Fellow Republican candidate Mike Minogue echoed Shortsleeve’s comments, calling for an independent investigation into how Cook was hired by the Administration. “Any time someone inside state government is arrested for something as serious as drug trafficking, the public deserves a full accounting,” Minogue said in a statement. “The Healey Administration shouldn’t be investigating itself. An independent investigation is the only way to make sure Massachusetts families get the truth about what happened, who knew what, and whether this is part of a deeper problem.” State Police say the investigation into Cook stems from two previous drug seizures, where in which police intercepted about 13 kilograms of suspected cocaine in two packages sent to Hotel UMass in Amherst where Cook was the Director before joining the Healey administration. Police also said Cook’s trafficking charges relate to about eight kilograms of suspected cocaine that they seized in a “controlled delivery operation” at the Springfield State Office building where he worked. The administration fired Cook immediately following his arrest, calling it “a major breach of public trust” and “unacceptable.” Cook had been paid $96,564 this year, according to state payroll records. His annual salary was $115,968. The Herald has reached out to Gov. Healey’s office for comment.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/25/kennealy-vows-to-release-all-governors-records-on-lamar-cook-if-elected/
Kennealy vows to release all Governor’s records on LaMar Cook, if elected
