And in other news, the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Representative Michael Marcello is going to begin investigating what happened with the state’s credit union crisis, the burning of the Gaspee and the Dorr Rebellion. Hey, why not? I mean, we shouldn’t be rushing into these things.

Today, the House Oversight Committee will finally begin looking into what happened with the 38 Studios debacle (h/t AP News). What’s interesting is Chairman Marcello said back in January that these would be scheduled. The timing of all this sure is interesting. First, we didn’t want to do them last year when information might have been more fresh in peoples’ head (*cough* election year *cough*) and we didn’t want to do them during the legislative session because that might have made it harder to get votes for that $2.5M payment that was approved in exchange for no tolls on bridges (whoops!). Let’s schedule those hearings for a non-election year, in August on a Wednesday afternoon. Pretty much exactly when everyone has tuned out of political coverage. Let’s call some meetings, ask a couple cupcake questions, wrap it up and just say that it was all Schilling and Carcieri’s fault. Nothing more to see here.

Will they call Gordon Fox in to testify about his statements to a Moody’s representative about his support for the deal? About how there really was no opposition to the deal in his chamber? And about how the taxpayers would simply pay it back if necessary? And then when questioned about it on the House floor by people like Reps. Watson and MacBeth, he wasn’t as forthcoming? Or how about when Finance Chairman Steven Costantino answered a direct question to Rep. Karen MacBeth either without full information or intentionally misleading her. She asked whether the full $75M would go to a single source and Costantino stood up on the House floor and answered “No.” Will that be investigated? Will he be brought in and made to answer questions about his responsibilities here? It’s not like he’s moved on to be a private citizen. He is the secretary of RI’s Health and Human Services Department. He is still collecting a taxpayer-funded paycheck. So yes, he does still owe us answers. Fully truthful ones this time.

The timing of the hearings does foreshadow a big nothing of an outcome. So we’ll have to wait and see if Chairman Marcello takes his duties seriously or he is just going to pander and go through the motions, protecting the people who put him in his chairman’s position. In the meantime, maybe they can investigate the hurricane of ’38. So many pressing issues…