BOSTON — “It’s the worst financial deal in the history of Massachusetts.”

GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue is calling on U.S. Attorney Leah Foley to investigate “everything around” the $2 billion Springfield courthouse deal — especially the political connections held by the business partnership awarded the lucrative contract.

“They think they are untouchable, but this is a bridge too far,” he said.

Minogue told the Boston Herald on Monday evening that he’s going to call out Gov. Maura Healey Tuesday in front of the State House where he’ll appeal to the feds to probe the deal.

The Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAMM) had announced in July that the contract was awarded to Liberty Junction – a partnership that includes CoJo Partners – which is co-owned by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s husband, Conan Harris, and the interim Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) John Barros.

A flurry of public backlash followed the announcement of the deal involving political insiders and how such a lucrative contract could have been awarded to a company owned by two men with such notable connections and potential conflicts of interest.

Barros divested his interest in Liberty Junction and CoJo Partners in July in response to the backlash. He has not provided specifics of his divestment.

Minogue said he’ll cancel the deal, if elected in November, adding that $2 billion for a courthouse is a waste of taxpayer money, with only the Encore casino even coming close to that price tag.

“How does it cost $2 billion to build a courthouse? What are the qualifications? We’re wasting tax dollars when people can’t even afford gas,” he said.

Minogue is also announcing his pitch to suspend the state gas tax while a gallon costs more than $4 at the pump.

And he’s asking Foley to not stop at the courthouse contract, also calling on the U.S. Attorney to dive deeper and investigate every financial move the MCCA has made, even down to the “single bidders.”

He said Foley is “the only one finding waste, fraud and corruption” in the state.

A lawsuit to stop the deal in its tracks was filed by two of ten losing bidders: New England used car magnate Jeb Balise and real estate conglomerate Dinesh Patel, who filed the suit on July 9 under their respective business entities USPB JV, LLC and Tower Square, LLC. A Hampden County judge ruled in favor of the state and Liberty Junction, a decision currently under appeal by Balise and Patel.

DCAMM quietly announced the contract was awarded to Liberty Junction in a July 2 press release – the last business day before the Independence Day weekend. The agency maintains it awarded the contract based on the recommendation of the Massachusetts Trial Court (TRC) in an effort to finish the project “as quickly as possible.”

Court documents show Barros met with Healey’s top staffers just hours before the deal was made public, a meeting the governor’s office says was unrelated.

Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell have publicly defended the contract as the “best deal for taxpayers,” a claim disputed by losing bidders and fiscal watchdog organizations. Campbell’s office represented DCAMM in the civil suit, calling it “nothing more than a fever dream of imagined malfeasance in aid of Plaintiffs’ attempt to elevate their own financial interests over the public’s interest.”

As for Pressley, the progressive political heavyweight has tried to distance herself from her husband’s business dealings while also defending him when pressed by the Herald last month.

“I don’t have any unique insights on that. My husband and I met later in life. We got married later in our life. We keep our finances and everything completely separate,” Pressley said. “What I will say is I’ve always been proud of my husband and what he has done. He is the American dream. He’s overcome a great deal. He has made great contributions (to society).”

“He worked for Barack Obama. He served in a mayoral Cabinet. He was a leader in nonprofit, in government, and in business,” she continued. “So I’m very proud of my husband. But I have no unique insights on this. We met later in life, our finances are separate, I don’t know anything.”

As Harris remains with CoJo Partners and on the contract, Ayanna Pressley’s net worth has exploded from an estimated $12,500 during her time as Boston City Councilor in 2018 to a whopping $8 million in 2024, according to Open Secrets. She receives a congressional salary of $174,000.

According to Pressley’s financial disclosure report, the congresswoman has listed several homes with estimated value between $1 million and $5 million.

Minogue also touched on SNAP fraud, the ongoing story of the Massachusetts DCF taking custody of a teenaged girl after her parents refused to allow her to undergo a medical gender transition, the $70 billion state budget, soaring energy bills, unfunded mandates and trying to win in a Democratic-dominated state.

“People are fed up,” he said, “and they see all these blatant things being done. This is a tipping-point election.”

Out of frustration, Minogue added everyone should “meet at Dunkin’ Donuts and have a wake-up session for Massachusetts.”

The Herald has requested comment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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