Nothing Gov. Patrick does can surprise us anymore.
Gov. Deval Patrick - impatiently demanding that lawmakers pass “meaningful reforms” - yesterday took advantage of a loophole that allows him to raise more than 10 times the legal limit in campaign contributions.A group of heavy-hitting lawyers - including disgraced ex-state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson’s former defense attorney Cheryl Cronin - hosted a fund-raiser for Patrick’s political committee at the Union Club on Beacon Hill last night.
The fund-raiser’s invitation encourages those “who feel inclined to make a donation larger than $500” to give to the Seventy-First Fund. The group - so named because Patrick is the 71st governor - allows contributors to donate $5,500, which is split between the state Democratic Party and Patrick’s political committee.
The party then uses most of the money to pay off Patrick’s campaign bills. Party chairman John Walsh said the fund complies with current state campaign laws.
SECOND UPDATE: More from the Barnstable Patriot, the Globe and Herald.
THIRD UPDATE: From the Herald, Holly Robichaud and Scot Lehigh.