Attorney General Patrick Lynch is taking no clear stance on the contentious budget dispute between Governor Don Carcieri and the General Assembly. The state's chief law enforcement officer made an appearance today on the WPRI-TV show "Newsmakers" with Jack White and Scott MacKay. When asked how he felt about the budget passed by the Assembly but vetoed by the governor, Lynch refused to state an opinion saying his office didn't have a meaningful role in the budget process. However, he felt that debate over the budget was "healthy" for the state.
The only specific evaluation he made was to indicate that Carcieri's original budget for the attorney-general's office "was troubling". The governor "treated my office worse than any other agency," he said. Lynch stated he was "thankful the legislature had more appreciation of my office."
Lynch continued his public criticism of the der Derian brothers, owners of the Station nightclub that burned to the ground. When asked if they had been providing information to his office, the attorney general indicated "that hasn't been happening."
He also expressed his unhappingess over the state's recent racial profiling report showing minorities are stopped in disproportionate numbers. "That is outrageous," he said. "Racial profiling is wrong."
