FBI quizzes Mass. Legislators

May 24, 2004

In a sign that federal prosecutors are pressing their perjury probe of [Massachusetts] House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran, the FBI recently quizzed two state representatives about conversations they had with the speaker about the House redistricting plan, according to two well-placed legislative sources.

State Representative Kay Khan, a five-term Democrat from Newton, confirmed she met with several agents at the Boston FBI office several weeks ago, but declined to comment on the questions she was asked. She was interviewed at the Boston FBI headquarters at One Center Plaza.

Also two weeks ago, an FBI agent came to the State House to meet with Democratic Representative Ruth B. Balser of Newton, one of the sources said. Balser declined to comment.

Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal probe into whether Finneran perjured himself when he testified last year he was uninvolved in developing the plan that reshaped district boundaries. -- FBI seen querying on Finneran (Boston Globe)