Malloy Under Cloud as Feds Begin Criminal Investigation of ’14 Fundraising.

Federal criminal authorities have picked up the torch. The State Election Enforcement Commission (SEEC) abandoned its public trust when it entered into an agreement to drop its investigation of state Democratic fundraising practices on behalf of Democratic Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s 2014 re-election campaign before seeing crucial evidence. Jon Lender reveals today that the U.S. Attorney has empaneled a grand jury and begun serving subpoenas.

What a fertile fields to plow the Malloy re-election campaign finances will be for investigators with wide authority. Emails will be read, calendars examined, and bank records reviewed this time. Agents and prosecutors will no doubt inquire into the dual role of at least one high ranking Malloy administration official who micromanaged campaign and party affairs while also exercising broad authority inside state government. Adding to the complications for people involved in the 2014 Malloy campaign will be figuring out who it’s safe to talk to. Probably not each other.

The criminal investigation into Malloy’s re-election campaign financing is the second day of bad news for the surly head of the Democratic Governors Association.