United States politics
The recordFiled October 17, 2026Checked October 17, 2026
Sides disagreeState records say Healey's office fired LaMar Cook for cause the day it learned he was detained; his $22,374 payout was vacation pay the state calls an error.
In the final Massachusetts governor debate, Mike Minogue said Gov. Maura Healey "didn't fire" aide LaMar Cook after his cocaine arrest and that Cook "got severance." A state lawsuit says he was fired for cause on Oct. 25, 2025, three days before his arrest, and that a later vacation payout was made by mistake.
See primary source: Massachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court)Left
Lean left · Left-leaning US article
Healey and Minogue meet in unbridled final debate before election
Eve Zuckoff, Roberto Scalese · October 15, 2026
The Healey administration employee was arrested earlier this year after investigators accused him of having eight kilograms of cocaine delivered to his state office. Cook was fired following that arrest.
Right
Lean right · Right-leaning US article
Gov. Healey ‘proud’ of scandal-plagued state police, deflects blame for LaMar Cook in final debate against Minogue
Tim Dunn · October 15, 2026
Minogue also called out Healey for the hiring of LaMar Cook, as well as his state gun and drug charges, the $31,000 contract buyout “mistakenly” paid out to him by the governor’s office, and his ability to allegedly fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits under the Healey-run Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA).
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FP verdict
The numbers are real. The conclusion isn't.
Confidence score: 3/10 — The state complaint and the federal release both say Cook was fired in October 2025, and the payment was accrued vacation the state calls an error; the payout and the SNAP charge are real.
Sourced from Massachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court), the numbers are real and the conclusion isn't.
“Someone can get 18 pounds of cocaine delivered, and you didn't fire them, they got arrested. Then they got severance. And now they're on SNAP benefits that you didn't even check on.”
The state attorney general's lawsuit says the governor's office learned on Oct. 25, 2025 that Cook had been detained and "immediately terminated his employment for cause"; he was arrested Oct. 28. On Nov. 21, 2025, the state paid him $22,374.29 net for accrued vacation, which it says he wasn't entitled to and is suing to recover. Federal prosecutors charged him Oct. 14 with lying to get SNAP benefits. The firing claim is wrong and the payout was vacation pay, not severance, though the money and the SNAP case are real.
Primary source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. LaMar Cook, Complaint (filed Jan. 7, 2026) (Massachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court))
Red versus Blue
Based on the full articles
- Shared factsBoth report that Minogue pressed Healey on LaMar Cook, his drug and gun charges and the new federal SNAP charges, and both quote Healey saying she fired Cook immediately.
- Different emphasisWBUR, from the left, covers Cook as one thread in a wide-ranging debate and gives Minogue's line and Healey's answer about equal space. The Boston Herald, from the right, leads with Healey's “sometimes things happen” remark about the State Police and its own reporting that her office knew of Cook's 2001 charges before hiring him.
- Material differencesWBUR states plainly that Cook “was fired following that arrest”; the Herald describes a “$31,000 contract buyout” paid “mistakenly” and doesn't say when he was fired. Neither says the payment was accrued vacation, as the state's complaint does.
Shows its work
How this rating was reached
- Lie
- Doesn't hold up
- Misleading
- Mostly false
- Half true
- Mostly true
- True
- Unproven
This verdict partly aligns with the primary source, Massachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court): Fired for cause Oct. 25, 2025; arrested Oct. 28; $22,374.29 net accrued vacation paid in error Nov. 21, 2025.
Questions to ask
- The state paid Cook vacation money it says he wasn't owed and still hasn't recovered it. Who approved that payment a month after he was fired for cause, and what has changed since?
The evidence, briefly
Why misleading
Cook did receive about $22,000 after he was fired, and he is charged with SNAP fraud, so the line points at real problems. But two records, the state complaint and the federal release, say he was fired in October 2025 after being detained, and the payment was vacation pay the state says it made by mistake.
Shortened here. The full reasoning is below.
01
The claim
WBUR quoted Minogue: "Someone can get 18 pounds of cocaine delivered, and you didn't fire them, they got arrested," Minogue said to Healey. "Then they got severance. And now they're on SNAP benefits that you didn't even check on."
02
When Cook was fired
The Commonwealth's Jan. 7, 2026 complaint against Cook says: "On October 25, 2025, the Office of the Governor became aware that Mr. Cook had been detained by law enforcement on the premises of the Springfield State Office building, and upon learning that information, it immediately terminated his employment for cause. Mr. Cook was later arrested on October 28, 2025."
03
A second record agrees
The U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts wrote on Oct. 14, 2026: "Cook was terminated in October 2025 after he was detained at the Springfield State Office building and later charged by the Hampden District Attorney's Office for alleged drug and firearm offenses."
04
What the payout was
The complaint says that on Nov. 21, 2025, the state's Human Resources Division "erroneously paid him $31,438.56 in total gross pay, $22,374.29 net pay, for 530 total hours of vacation leave time," and that employees "terminated for cause are not entitled to be paid any amount for accrued vacation leave time." The state is suing to get it back.
05
The SNAP charge
Federal prosecutors allege Cook applied for SNAP on April 6, 2026, "falsely claimed zero income," and received about $546 a month. The release notes these are allegations.
06
The left-leaning framing
WBUR reported that Cook "was fired following that arrest" and paired Minogue's line with Healey's reply: "I did fire LaMar Cook immediately, and I will fire anyone immediately who commits wrongdoing in my administration."
07
The right-leaning framing
The Boston Herald wrote that Minogue "called out Healey for the hiring of LaMar Cook, as well as his state gun and drug charges, the $31,000 contract buyout “mistakenly” paid out to him by the governor's office, and his ability to allegedly fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits." It also reported that a records request showed her office knew of Cook's criminal history before hiring him.
08
The buried fact
The state's own lawsuit puts the firing on Oct. 25, 2025, before the Oct. 28 arrest, and calls the later payment accrued vacation paid in error, not severance or a contract buyout. The $31,000 figure the Herald cites is the gross amount of that vacation payment.
09
Why misleading
Cook did receive about $22,000 after he was fired, and he is charged with SNAP fraud, so the line points at real problems. But two records, the state complaint and the federal release, say he was fired in October 2025 after being detained, and the payment was vacation pay the state says it made by mistake.
10
What each side gets right, and hides
WBUR states that Cook was fired, but doesn't explain the payment Minogue called severance. The Herald explains the payment came from the governor's office "mistakenly," but calls it a "contract buyout" and doesn't say Cook was fired before his arrest.
- Secondary reportingWBUR: Healey and Minogue meet in unbridled final debate before election
- Secondary reportingBoston Herald: Gov. Healey ‘proud’ of scandal-plagued state police, deflects blame for LaMar Cook in final debate against Minogue
- PrimaryMassachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court): Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. LaMar Cook, Complaint (filed Jan. 7, 2026)
11
The question to ask
The state paid Cook vacation money it says he wasn't owed and still hasn't recovered it. Who approved that payment a month after he was fired for cause, and what has changed since?
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Date the governor's office fired Cook for cause (state complaint) | Oct. 25, 2025 | Massachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court) |
| Date of Cook's arrest (state complaint) | Oct. 28, 2025 | Massachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court) |
| Accrued vacation paid in error on Nov. 21, 2025 | $31,438.56 gross; $22,374.29 net | Massachusetts Attorney General (Suffolk Superior Court) |
| Monthly SNAP benefits Cook allegedly received | About $546 | U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts |
Caveats and limits
Not verified
- We didn't find a written record showing whether the state's lawsuit to recover the vacation payment has been resolved.
Caveats
- The SNAP and wire fraud charges are allegations; Cook is presumed innocent.
- Minogue's "18 pounds" refers to the cocaine seizure; WBUR reported investigators accused Cook of having eight kilograms delivered. This report doesn't rate the weight.
Sources
Primary · official record
Primary · official record
Secondary reporting
Healey and Minogue meet in unbridled final debate before electionWBUR · Eve Zuckoff, Roberto Scalese · October 15, 2026
Secondary reporting
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