Former McKee official defends alleged inaction on infamous Philly trip. Here's what he said.

PROVIDENCE — Former Department of Administration Director James Thorsen has broken his silence about what went down during a March trip to Philadelphia to visit a state contractor that has sparked investigations by the Rhode Island State Police and the human resources arm of the agency he once headed.

Thorsen's statement centered on the March 10 trip he took to Philadelphia with David Patten, the director of the state's Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, to "discuss a proposed development of the Cranston Street Armory" with executives of the company, under state contract, that has proposed a $56-million turnaround plan.

What does Thorsen have to say?

"I was aware that the director of the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance was behaving strangely during this trip and was not representing the state in an appropriate or positive way," Thorsen said in a statement released by his lawyer on Wednesday.

"This presented a dilemma on how to complete the meeting, but because of time constraints, I endeavored to do so," said Thorsen, pushing back against the accounts that the top executives at Scout Ltd. gave of his alleged inaction — despite entreaties to do something — in a Scout executive's email to Gov. Dan McKee.

On Wednesday, Thorsen's lawyer Kevin Bristow sent the media a copy of Thorsen's account, along with this message: "You have contacted Jim Thorsen regarding the March 10th meeting with [representatives] of Scout Ltd. in Philadelphia.  Attached is his statement regarding that matter.

"Jim will not be making any further comment until the investigation and other proceedings relating to this matter are fully resolved," Bristow said.

Public records fight: RI governor's office fought to keep this email secret. Why the Journal fought back, and what it says

What happened on the trip?

Scout executives were so upset with what happened that day that they had their State House lobbyist, Jeff Britt, deliver a scorching account of the alleged misconduct of Patten — and Thorsen's inaction — to McKee's chief of staff. They alleged "bizarre, offensive and unprofessional actions" by Patten and said "Thorsen allowed this behavior to continue to happen, even after we pulled him aside to make note that this needed to stop. We are not sure if this was intended to try to force our hand to walk away from the project — but we are disgusted and shocked by these actions."

Patten is on paid leave from his $174,000-a-year job. Thorsen left for a job with the U.S. Department of Treasury.

In his own defense, Thorsen said he contacted the state's human resources division before boarding the flight home from Philadelphia that day and went there directly from the airport to "express my concerns regarding the Director's conduct and his health."

Thorsen's account of the trip:

Thorsen's account:

"Allegations have been made regarding my conduct during that business trip that need to be clarified. First, I did not request or have anyone else request preferential treatment from Scout Ltd. Nor did I advise or cause anyone else to advise Scout Ltd. that the way in which I was treated by Scout Ltd. would have any impact on the prospective awarding of state funding relating to the proposed Armory project," he said.

"Next, and of greatest importance, I did not make any remark or make any statement to any person that was racially or sexually insensitive or inappropriate. I do not engage in that type of speech or conduct," he continued.

With regard to the $250 lunch that he and Patten had at a high-end Sicilian restaurant that is not, as a rule, open for lunch, Thorsen said: "I sat down to eat with two Scout Ltd. representatives at around 11 A.M. There were no other diners in the restaurant at that time. Because it was so early, I did not attach significance to that observation."

"Once I learned what had occurred regarding the early opening of the restaurant, I sent an email to Scout Ltd. advising that I wanted to pay for the meal," he continued. "Thereafter, I forwarded a bank check drawn from my personal funds."

As for the sneakers, vegan cheese and other freebies that Patten allegedly picked up during their walk through the Bok building, a former vocational school in South Philadelphia that Scout redeveloped, he said his comment about the items being "de minimis" — and therefore, presumably, outside the state's $25-per-item gift cap — was made before he learned what Patten was carrying.

"When I later learned that the box contained sneakers, I directed him to return them immediately. On Monday, March 13th, the Director advised me that the sneakers had been returned via Federal Express.

"The allegations made in this matter are very serious," Thorsen said.

"I did not engage in the conduct described. Nor would I ever condone such conduct. Finally, I did not know the content of communication by the Director regarding treatment from Scout Ltd. or any of the tenants at Bok. I intend to continue to cooperate with state authorities to fully investigate what occurred during this trip."

CCRI releases memorandum about Patten's 2018 resignation

In a related development, the Community College of Rhode Island released a "memorandum of agreement" with Patten, when he agreed to resign over "certain differences ... between [Patten] and CCRI regarding the strategies for accomplishing change at CCRI."

The memorandum documents the parties' "desire to obtain an amicable, complete, and final resolution of this matter" with his resignation on Jan. 31, 2018," and his interim transfer to the Office of the Post Secondary Commissioner.

The document sheds no further light on why he left CCRI, and how much of his history there would have been available to McKee when he hired Patten for a top job in the Department of Administration.

The documents CCRI provided in response to a Journal records request included a non-disparagement pledge binding on the college and Patten, and a letter of recommendation from CCRI President Meghan Hughes that said, in part: "His commitment to students is known throughout our institution. We wish him well in his future endeavors."

It is not clear how common non-disparagement provisions are in state college severance agreements.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI official from Philadelphia trip defends alleged inaction in face of offensive behavior