Reporter Ian Donnis talks with U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha about his three-year tenure.
TRANSCRIPT:
Ian Donnis:
U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha, what is top of mind for you when you look back on your tenure as Rhode Island’s top federal prosecutor?
Zachary Cunha:
Well, you know, as I look back at the past three years, I’m tremendously pleased at the extent to which we’ve been able to make progress across a lot of different areas that have a real impact on the lives of Rhode Islanders. I look at what we’ve done with respect to fentanyl and the opioid crisis, whether it’s prosecuting individuals who are responsible for that conduct, whether it’s going after chains of recovery providers that are abusing and taking advantage of patients, whether it’s being out in the community and educating on that issue. So I’m proud of the work that we’ve done there. I’m proud of the work we’ve done in the fraud space to go after individuals who are victimizing the elderly and our businesses and folks across cities and towns throughout Rhode Island. I’m particularly proud of the work we’ve done in the civil rights arena. Some of the stuff we’ve done to ensure fair lending, and the work we’ve done to make sure that kids in hospitals who are not receiving the care that they require in the communities get that care and get out in the communities and have a chance at a real childhood. So there are a lot of things that I look back at where I’m tremendously pleased at our ability to dig in and make an impact, and that all has to do with the men and women of my office.
Donnis:
Well, speaking of the people you work with, you work with the FBI. It used to be that criticism of the FBI came mostly from the left. Now it’s more from the right, including President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, who calls the FBI headquarters in Washington a museum of the deep state. He says the agency needs to be seriously overhauled. Based on your experience working with the FBI here in Rhode Island, does the agency need to be overhauled?
Cunha:
All I can tell you is based on my own experience here in Rhode Island and New England and throughout my 20-year career with the department, the FBI does a superb job of law enforcement. We are lucky to have some – like the folks in my office – truly dedicated public servants who are out there every day, often putting their lives on the line to do the right thing. I have the utmost confidence in them and our other federal and state and local law enforcement partners.
This interview was conducted by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.
