Donald Trump has vowed to go after his political enemies if he wins the presidential election. The U.S. Justice Department is part of the executive branch, so if Trump wins, he would have significant influence over what happens. Closer to home, the timeline for rebuilding the westbound Washington Bridge remains uncertain, although it’s likely to take longer than originally expected. And the healthcare landscape in Rhode Island faces a series of challenges, ranging from lower reimbursement rates than in Connecticut and Massachusetts and precarious finances for some hospitals. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha intersects with all of these issues. As a former top federal prosecutor in the state, Neronha previously worked for the Justice Department. He’s been an outspoken critic of Governor Dan McKee and his handling of the bridge. And Neronha has been one of the most vocal officials in the state in talking about the need for more urgency in confronting Rhode Island’s healthcare challenges. So what does Neronha think about what justice would look like in a Trump administration? What would he do differently on the bridge? And since term limits preventing him from seeking re-election in 2026, what is next for the longtime prosecutor? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Ian Donnis: Welcome back to the Public’s Radio.
Attorney General Peter Neronha: Great to be back, Ian.
Donnis: You were formerly the top federal prosecutor for Rhode Island. Considering that, are you concerned that if Donald Trump wins the election, he will order the Justice Department to pursue prosecutions of his political enemies?
Neronha: Well, I don’t know if it’ll go that far, Ian, but you know, based on some of the things that the Justice Department did last time he was president, I think there’s cause to be even more concerned this time. And I just put it, as simply as I can. I think there were moderating forces on him in the Justice Department like I knew Bill Barr, met him I was A.G. at the time –
Donnis: – and now people fear that those moderating influences will not be there?
Neronha: Exactly. And the Justice Department it can be and is a powerful institution and its historical checks have been its own, its own ethical sense of mission. And I worry that those checks won’t be in place with this, with him as president.
Donnis: If Trump does go after his political enemies and acts in a way unlike previous presidents, what is the fallback? What can be done to try and mediate that or put some guardrails in place?
Neronha: Well, look, I mean, that’s a matter for the court, right? And you hope that the court as that, you know, third branch of government will be there to moderate those instincts, and frankly, vindicate people who are targeted in that way. At the same time, we can’t ignore the fact that you know, there has been, and there was in the Trump administration last time, in my view, people placed on the bench that didn’t belong, that frankly didn’t belong there. And so whether the court will still have that moderating influence, I mean, at the trial level, you know, leave the Supreme Court out of it and some of the issues there, I’m talking about district court judges across the country. And yeah, I’m worried about it. Not in Providence, but elsewhere for sure.
Donnis: Special Prosecutor Jack Smith recently made a new filing against Trump just weeks before the presidential election. How would you respond to Trump and his supporters in their belief that the Justice Department is already overly politicized against him?
Neronha: Yeah, I don’t see it that way. I think Merrick Garland has done a good job, almost to a point of being too conservative and too cautious, I think. So I don’t think the department itself in this administration has been politicized. I do think that whenever there’s a special prosecutor selected to go after a certain, and go after is not really the right word, but to investigate a certain person, It’s a unique person, not the institution as a whole, investigating one person. And particularly when it comes to politics, I mean, the person is always accused of politicizing the investigation. I don’t get that sense here. But, you know, Americans are going to have to make that judgment. Maybe that will influence their decision making process in a few weeks. I tend to doubt it. But I understand the question, Ian, and I understand the concern.
Donnis: One more question before we come back to Rhode Island. As a Democrat, are you troubled or angry even that the Biden administration has handed Trump an issue by presiding over a big uptick in unauthorized crossings at the American border before they clamp down on that this year.
Neronha: Well look, that’s not an issue, Ian, that I have, you know, closely followed, as Attorney General of Rhode Island. It’s just so distant from my responsibility.
Donnis: But it’s an animating issue for many Trump supporters.
Neronha: Well, look, frankly, in many ways, it’s a dog whistle, you know. On X, I saw an ad from Governor Jindal from Louisiana about how, you know, the new Medicare plan is going to provide tens of thousands of benefits to illegal aliens. You know, his phrase. It’s just, it’s another one of those issues that, again, may drive voter decision making. In my view, shouldn’t. But that’s the state of the union right now, and it’s not, it’s not a good state at all.
Donnis: Let’s switch gears and talk about the Washington Bridge. You’ve criticized Governor McKee’s handling of the issue. What would you do differently?
Neronha: Well, I guess it depends on, Ian, on what the criticism is that you’re referring to, but let me see if I can capture it. Also putting it, making it clear that right now I’m the attorney for the state. Look, I think the criticisms are obvious, which are that here we are, it is coming up on a year since the closing of the bridge. And we don’t have a bid to build it yet. The timeframes keep getting extended. And it’s really unclear whether they were realistic in the first place, and that may, frankly, have been, deliberate. Look, I think there’s an obligation to be forthcoming with the public on things of this nature, and I just think the governor either wasn’t forthcoming or, frankly, wasn’t capable or his administration wasn’t capable of putting together a plan that they could stick to. And look, you need a plan you get the people in the room and you figure out a plan to solve a problem that just didn’t happen here. That said Ian, that’s about the building of the bridge. Litigation is something totally separate and that’s something that I can’t talk about vis a vis my relationship with the governor because we are in that case at the moment together.
Donnis: It was almost three years ago when an investigation into a controversial education consulting contract awarded to the ILO group became public. You told WPRI in March that the process for your probe was complete, but we’re still waiting for your findings. Does Governor McKee have a legitimate reason to be irritated that this case has been hanging out there for three years without any kind of finding to this point?
Neronha: There’ll be a finding within the next three weeks at the outside. You know, when that report is issued, it’ll speak for itself. We’re going to be very transparent in putting out the materials that underlie the report. There’ll be a state police narrative that underlies the report. The truth is, regardless of how the governor wants to spin it, this started with an investigation from the state police. We joined the state police investigation afterwards. So to the extent, you know, he tries to make this sound like a political thing. He should, I think, be careful about that because when he does that, he not only questions my integrity, but he questions the integrity of the state police. And I think that not only is that unfair and wrong, I think it’s a mistake.
Donnis: The State Department of Health recently started the change of effective control process for the Atlanta based Centurion Foundation to potentially acquire CharterCare, the owners of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital. Has Centurion indicated to you that it’s willing to accept the conditions that you imposed as part of your decision on that?
Neronha: Not yet. Not yet. and that’s something that they’re gonna have to do if they wanna go forward with the transaction. The reality is, is that we are trying to make this a better situation for the hospitals and they themselves have negotiated. And I think that says an awful lot about not only the present owner, meaning Prospect Medical Holdings, but the management of the hospitals. I’m very concerned about them. I do think that if our conditions are met, the hospitals will have a better chance of succeeding, but the overall structural issues with health care that you and I have talked about many times, frankly, the lack of revenue coming into health care across the board for Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance, are going to make those hospitals endangered no matter who owns them. And when I say endangered, I mean in danger of closing, in very short order, unless something dramatic changes.
Donnis: Centurion has been very limited in its public comments since you issued your decision earlier this year. Do you have a sense of whether Centurion’s acquisition of charter care is going to move forward? Is it more likely than not?
Neronha: I think it’s, if I were to, handicap it, Ian, I would say it’s more likely than not. I mean, I think that based on my conversations, and I’ve had direct conversations myself with counsel for the parties here. They know what it is I’m trying to achieve, and that is to keep as much of that escrow that remains, 45 million dollars of the Leonard Green money, the original private equity firm and Prospect. I want that money for these hospitals. I think that will give them the best chance of sticking around for a while, and we’re trying to make sure they stick around for a very long time. That’s the reason why the conditions are what they are, and I think they are closer. That’s really a financial thing. That’s a bit of a lift for them in their minds. They’re just going to have to meet the condition. I think they’re getting closer to understanding that they’re going to have to do that.
Donnis: We know if you had your druthers, you would like to run for a third term as attorney general. You say you really enjoy the work of being a prosecutor, but term limits prevent you from doing that. You seem aligned with Helena Foulkes who appears to be gearing up for another run for governor in 2026. Traditionally, the lieutenant governor’s office is seen as of dubious value by Rhode Islanders, but are you open to the possibility of running for lieutenant governor, possibly making the office into something more than it has been and teaming up with Helena Foulkes on trying to lead the state in a different way?
Neronha: Well, look, I’m open to staying in public service, Ian. I’m not sure yet what that will look like. You know, I’ve thought about going back to the Justice Department. I think there would be an opportunity for me there if Donald Trump didn’t become president, for example. and that’s a place where I spent a good part of my career. Really love that experience too. But I am interested in staying in public service, at least for some period of time after I leave office as Attorney General. Look, I think the Lieutenant Governor, if that is turned into a true policy shop and used as a bully pulpit. But frankly the way I’ve tried to use my role as Attorney General in areas that are somewhat different from my predecessors. So if you remember, go back to when I got sworn in, I talked in my remarks about climate and health care. And I’ve continued to try to move the needle forward on that. I think that’s happened. I think the governor is paying more attention to health care because I’ve essentially forced him to do it. I think the lieutenant governor can serve that purpose, in other words, a strategic thinking place that doesn’t exist in state government, and doesn’t come with all of the other, for me at least, trappings of state leadership that are not things that I’m terribly interested in. So I’m open to it, Ian. But, I’m open to a lot of things when the time comes for me to walk out of office and only time will tell exactly what direction I’ll decide to go in.
Donnis: We’re very short on time, but can you give me a quick answer on why Rhode Island Recycled Metals has been able to remain in business and continue operating despite efforts by yourself and many others who feel that it’s not faced sufficient accountability?
Neronha: Yeah, look, I think when I leave office, I’ll be more open about some of the challenges, with our state court system, and there are some fine judges there. I don’t want to say that there aren’t, but it is a frustratingly slow process. And we have had a special master in place for far too long. What we need is a receiver that can take control of the property and force Recycled Metals to move forward on all of the things that have been a challenge for so long. There’s been a lot of challenges there, a lot of pieces that had to be fixed, but still, it’s gone on for far too long.
Donnis: All right, we’ve got to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
Neronha: Thanks, Ian. Good to be with you.
My TGIF column is taking the week off and will return next Friday. But I’ve got a tip if you’re looking for a political fix. Listen to The Public’s Voice, a panel discussion on national and local politics, moderated by yours truly, and recorded last week before a live audience at the Providence Athenaeum. It’s airing on The Public’s Radio at 7 pm tonight and 4 pm Saturday and Sunday.
That’s it for our show. Political Roundtable is a production of The Public’s Radio. Our producer is James Baumgartner. I’m Ian Donnis, and I’ll see you on the radio.
