Gov weighs in on claims but stays mum on son
Gov. Charlie Baker called the sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh “sickening” yesterday — but refused to discuss a groping allegation that was leveled against his own son earlier this year.
The Republican governor tweeted yesterday, “The accusations brought against Judge Kavanaugh are sickening and deserve an independent investigation. There should be no vote in the Senate.”
But when asked by the Herald about the sexual assault allegation against his son at an event yesterday, Baker ignored the question, getting into his state SUV and leaving.
A.J. Baker, the governor’s son, was removed from a JetBlue flight by a state trooper in June and questioned about a woman’s allegations that he had groped her on the plane.
The state police report on the alleged incident describes the woman’s exclamations of alarm, supported by witnesses, as she claimed that the younger Baker touched her breast. A.J. Baker told state police he was sleeping during the incident.
When news of the incident leaked two days later, a state police spokesman said there was no state police investigation, directing reporters to federal authorities. Gov. Baker didn’t address the matter until three days after it leaked.
When he did address the allegation, Baker didn’t mention that the state police, who are under his purview, had conducted the initial investigation before handing it off to the feds. He was later criticized for lack of transparency — but insisted “it’s not my call” to release the state police report, which had subsequently leaked. A.J. Baker has not been charged with a crime. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney declined to say if the case remains active.