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9/21/2018 Costantino to AG: Give Morgan Google settle documents and refund her money
STATE HOUSE – Rep. Gregory Costantino today issued the following statement regarding Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin’s response to House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan’s request for documents regarding spending of the money from the state’s settlement with Google:

“I am calling on the attorney general to immediately release unredacted documents that Representative Morgan paid for, and refund the sitting representative’s money. The idea that Representative Morgan had to pay anything for public documents is offensive and is a first. But the idea that Representative Morgan had to pay $3,750 for documents that are largely unreadable is even more offensive. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. I wonder out loud if a Democratic representative requesting this information would be treated in the same manner,” said Representative Costantino (D-Dist. 44, Lincoln, Johnston, Smithfield).

“This is a Rhode Island issue and it’s absolutely offensive that a sitting Rhode Island representative could request public information and be treated so disrespectfully. I am asking the attorney general to rectify this immediately and ask my colleagues in the House, both Democrats and Republicans, to join me in this request. If we are unsuccessful, then I would ask the House Oversight Committee to investigate under the direction of Chairwoman Patricia Serpa,” he concluded.

In March, Leader Morgan (R-Dist. 26, West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick) filed a request with the Attorney General’s Office for documents detailing that office’s spending of its $60 million share of the $230 million settlement the state made with Google in 2012 over ads for illegal pharmaceuticals. The office charged her in $3,750 for retrieval costs, which she paid from personal funds. She has since received part of the documentation, heavily redacted, and notice that the rest will cost between $4,000 and $8,000 more.
 



For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923