RE: New Hampshire Rated Least Corrupt State

The following is an opinion submission. Please feel free to submit your own here.

Just because New Hampshire is rated the least corrupt state because there are so few convictions of government employees, does not make it the least corrupt state.

The Josiah Bartlett opinion letter is myopic. The reason there are so few convictions for corruption is because the State has become a nepotistic kleptocracy. There is no incentive to self-regulate. The Governor appoints the Attorney General. Thus the Governor’s misdeeds are protected from prosecution. By way of example, we can look at AG Joseph Foster’s decision not to prosecute anybody at Phillips Exeter Academy for cover ups of sexual abuse of students there. Why? Because he was appointed by Governor Hassan and her husband was principal of the school.

She was running for the Senate and didn’t need the negative publicity so there was a media blackout (per the Washington Free Beacon). Senator Jeanne Shaheen wanted Maggie Hassan to join her in the Senate. Shaheen’s campaign. Lard of directors included Amanda Grady Sexton whose husband, Adam Sexton, is political director for WMUR. The Sextons were able to control the media message for Hassan as needed. Censorship and propaganda not an issue. DCYF admitted to deleting files of sex abuse at Phillips Exeter Academy. The NHCADSV work closely with DCYF on press and PR.

There are several other examples. Ironically, some of the bigger law firms (who are also closely intertwined with the Governor, AG, non-profits tied to these) advertise their work defending White Collar Government fraud. Nixon Peabody and Shaheen & Gordon among them.

Nobody in the AGs office was held accountable for failures (reported in Governor John Lynch’s report) when it came to the FRM Ponzi scheme.

Nobody in the AG’s office or DHHs has been held accountable for the abuse suffered by children at the Youth Detention Center.

With over 1300 claims against the State for abuse at the YDC, it would be impossible for there to be complete lack of awareness of the abuse.

US DOJ, DHHS audits on New Hampshire reveal the failures of the State to prevent fraud and abuse by subrecipients of federal grants. But rather than hold anybody accountable, the State responds to these audits with lip service and then just carries on.

Lori Schibinette (DHHs) had her resignation accepted by the Executive Council just 6 days after an audit revealed gross double billing/fraud by the State for Medicaid. The news media never mentioned the coincidental timing of her resignation just after the audit results.

With such strong departments in Shaheen & Gordon and Nixon Peabody defending people and organizations who have been accused of Government fraud, the question has to be- how much Government fraud is being covered up in back room deals, away from public scrutiny. Additionally, to what extent are local news media outlets controlled in what they report regarding Government fraud? If they rely on grants to run and those grants come through the Executive Council, Governor, AG, then they are unlikely to ever report on fraud involving any of these.  

Claire Best is a film & TV agent and a documentary filmmaker. As a result of investigating NH v Owen Labrie, she uncovered a web of public corruption in New Hampshire.