PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — In response to a civil complaint filed by former constituent liaison Miguel Sanchez, Gov. Dan McKee and his two appointees named as defendants in the suit have filed an answer in U.S. District Court for the State of Rhode Island.
In his initial complaint , Sanchez claims McKee, Senior Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Almond, and Chief of Staff Antonio Afonso violated his right to free speech by terminating his employment over social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying, “Firing ordinary government workers for expressing disfavored viewpoints in their personal life violates [their First Amendment right to freedom of speech].”
BACKGROUND: McKee fires City Council member from governor’s office over Israel comments
McKee and his fellow defendants pushed back in their response , notably denying Sanchez’s claims that his role as a constituent services staffer “was equivalent to a ‘tech support’ role for government services” and that he “was not a spokesperson for the Governor and was not involved in policy conversation.”