A Democratic state auditor in Massachusetts has uncovered nearly $12 million in alleged fraud in public assistance programs—and now she’s taking her own party’s leadership to court. Turns out even in deep-blue Massachusetts, math still matters… at least when someone actually looks at the numbers.
Diana DiZoglio, the Massachusetts State Auditor, announced she is filing a complaint with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to enforce a 2024 ballot measure that authorizes her office to audit the state legislature. That measure passed with a strong 72% voter approval, which in America usually means “do it”—unless, of course, politicians decide the rules don’t apply to them.
The lawsuit follows a report from the Massachusetts State Auditor’s Office identifying nearly $12 million in alleged fraud in fiscal year 2025 alone across several public assistance programs. DiZoglio said she notified House and Senate leaders earlier this year of her intention to conduct a performance audit, but they refused to provide the necessary documents. She also said the state attorney general declined to intervene.
“What are they hiding? If there’s nothing to hide, open up the doors, let the sun shine in. Let’s do this audit,” DiZoglio said.
She pointed out that Massachusetts is the only state in the nation where the legislature, governor’s office, and court system exempt themselves from the state’s public records law. According to her, the newly approved audit authority would finally bring transparency to taxpayer-funded records, including financial receipts and state contracts.
“This is about transparency and accountability,” DiZoglio said. “This is not about right or left. This is about getting access to documents that should be public record.”
DiZoglio also stressed that rooting out fraud is essential to protecting public assistance programs for people who genuinely need them. She shared that she was born to a 17-year-old single mother who relied on programs such as WIC before becoming a nurse and getting back on her feet.
“A lot of people rely on these programs,” she said. “But folks who are committing fraud need to be held accountable. We need to root out that waste, fraud, and abuse so these systems work the way they should.”
The Massachusetts attorney general, however, claims DiZoglio lacks the authority to file the lawsuit. In a statement reported by GBH News, the attorney general said the filing was a way to sidestep required approval and argued that constitutional privileges dating back nearly 250 years limit the auditor’s authority.
DiZoglio says she hopes the state’s highest court will side with voters.
“The Constitution is there to protect the people, not the politicians,” she said.
And for once, that sounds like something Americans of all stripes can agree on. When voters demand transparency and someone finally tries to deliver it, that’s not politics—that’s accountability. And accountability, believe it or not, is still a pretty patriotic idea.
