Attorney General Maura Healey said Monday that the auditing company hired by the state to investigate the Registry of Motor Vehicles should not be keeping records private.
"I'm hoping this resolves itself immediately. I think these records should be made available," she said in an interview with Boston Public Radio.
Grant Thornton, the auditing firm Gov. Charlie Baker hired in the wake of a New Hampshire motorcycle crash that killed seven people in June, is refusing to turn over interview records directly relating to that incident without a subpoena from lawmakers, according to the Boston Globe.
Healey said the records are a matter of public interest and public safety.
"I don't think it should have to come to the point where the legislature has to subpoena these documents," she said. "Given the nature of this issue, both for accountability for what happened but also ongoing exposure and public safety, we want to do everything we can right now to make sure things are being done and handled the right way."
MassDOT released the 106-page Grant Thornton audit in October, which revealed some documents were withheld from the investigating firm by MassDOT attorneys, who claimed attorney client privilege on some records, according to the report.
Healey said "there may be" a role for her office to get involved to make the records public.
Last week, Gov. Baker told Boston Public Radio he was also in favor of releasing the information, despite including language in their contract that seemingly allows for some records to be kept confidential.
"We're talking to Grant Thornton quite a bit about why we believe they should give this data to the committee. It was fairly boiler plate language that I think is in virtually every kind of contract in this nature," he said.
Baker also said he is "absolutely" in favor of the legislature seeking the withheld documents to be made public.
During the monthly Ask The AG segment, Healey also discussed the impeachment proceedings, her recent joining of a coalition on Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and took calls from listeners on various consumer issues.
