The Brothers Tsarnaev, alleged terrorists behind the Boston Marathon bombing, collected some amount of state and, possibly, federal welfare benefits. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, his wife, and daughter collected welfare until 2012, according to Massachusetts state officials. The exact amounts the brothers received is unknown, however, because Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration is refusing to release information regarding their case.
State agencies “flatly refused” to provide information regarding the taxpayer-funded lifestyle of the 26-year-old man and his accused accomplice brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, the Boston Herald reports.
The Brothers Tsarnaev seem to have been only marginally attached to the labor market. It is unclear how they financed their education and day-to-day expenses, never mind the materials needed to conduct their alleged reign of terror.
Since they emerged last week as prime suspects, government officials at all levels of government have scurried to obscure the public record. The public defender’s office in Massachusetts has moved to impound the court records over Tamerlan’s arrest for domestic violence. The FBI has been less than forthcoming about its investigation into Tamerlan’s suspected ties to terrorist groups. Now, the Deval Patrick Administration is blocking access to records about public assistance the Brothers received.
Terrorists have struck again on American soil. Every public record related to the suspects must be brought into the light of day. Transparency is sometimes embarrassing. That, however, is the smallest price to pay when tragedy has struck.
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