Rep. Chris Flanagan, the Dennis Port Democrat facing federal fraud charges, was a no-show during the House’s yearly budget debate, did not participate in recorded votes, and filed no amendments to the chamber’s fiscal year 2026 spending plan.
The second-term lawmaker’s decision to skip out on one of the Legislature’s few constitutionally mandated jobs drew mixed reactions from local Cape Cod representatives, with one Republican in the area calling on Flanagan to resign and Democrats largely avoiding the matter.
“All I can say is, what Chris is going through, he’s going through, and that has nothing to do with me. But I can just help my district,” Rep. Kip Diggs, a Cotuit Democrat whose district borders the western edge of Flanagan’s, said when asked about Flanagan’s absence this week. “That’s all I can honestly say. It’s unfortunate.”
Diggs did not say whether Flanagan should resign like a series of Democrats across the state, including state senators from Cape Cod and Gov. Maura Healey, have called on him to do.
“I think the judge told him that he has to keep working,” Diggs told the Herald Wednesday. “That’s all I can say.”
Flanagan, who is earning $82,044 as a politician, was arrested last month by federal authorities on charges he stole tens of thousands of dollars from a former employer, covered up the thefts, and then used the money to pay personal bills and fund his campaign for elected office.
He pleaded not guilty to the accusations during a court appearance in April.
Flanagan was released on conditions that he either maintain his current employment or actively seek a new job. As part of his job as a state lawmaker, he sits on four legislative committees, including the Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity Committee.
His lawyer, Greg Henning, did not immediately answer questions from the Herald. At Flanagan’s court appearance last month, Henning said the lawmaker had recently dealt with health issues and was returning to his family.
“Mr. Flanagan has been released on no bonds. He’s not in custody. He’s returning to go see his family, his wife, and his three children,” Henning said.
Flanagan faced a wave of calls for him to resign from his post after his arrest, including from Sen. Julian Cyr, a Provincetown Democrat who said he was “alarmed and saddened to hear” the charges against the lawmaker.
Other Cape Cod Democrats did not address Flanagan’s absence this week when approached by the Herald.
“I haven’t seen him,” Rep. Thomas Moakley, a first-term lawmaker from Falmouth, said when asked about Flanagan’s decision not to participate in the debate on the House’s $61 billion budget plan for fiscal year 2026.
Rep. Hadley Luddy, an Orleans Democrat whose district is to the east of Flanagan’s, walked away from a Herald reporter who asked about his absence.
Rep. Steven Xiarhos, a West Barnstable Republican, said Flanagan’s constituents should be “very concerned” because of the accusations that he faces.
“He’s been indicted by a federal investigation. We’ve all seen the reports. They’re public. He should resign. In the meantime, it’s up to House leadership to deal with whatever is going on right now,” Xiarhos told the Herald outside the House Chamber.
The Massachusetts House Ethics Committee plans to open an investigation into Flanagan once his court proceedings wrap up, the head of the committee said last month.
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, a Melrose Democrat who chairs the committee, previously said that waiting for Flanagan’s judicial affairs to “play out to avoid any possible disruption or obstruction to the ongoing criminal proceedings.”
Rep. David Vieira, an East Falmouth Republican who sits on the House Ethics Committee, did not answer questions about Flanagan’s absence.
“As a member of the Ethics Committee, I’m gonna say you have to ask him,” Vieira said.
House Speaker Ron Mariano said calls for Flanagan to resign before his court case is resolved were “premature,” a stance that set the Quincy Democrat apart from the string of elected officials who publicly urged Flanagan to step down.
“He’s got to look at what he’s going through and whether or not he can effectively be the representative he claimed he would be … I’m waiting for (him) to be convicted so that I know that he’s guilty,” Mariano previously said. “I think (the calls to resign are) premature. I think some of the senators who jumped on it is a bit premature. Everyone deserves a trial.”
House Minority Leader Brad Jones said he noticed Flanagan’s absence this week as House lawmakers worked through more than 1,600 proposed amendments to the state budget.
“I had thought, given everything, that he should step aside for the best interest of his district. I don’t have any more information than that. I mean, I’ve noticed he hasn’t been here, and he’s not somebody I interacted much with either way,” Jones told the Herald Wednesday.