The Democratic candidate for Attorney General in Massachusetts is defending the state’s current Attorney-General and gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley. That follows criticism of Coakley’s record on public corruption cases.

During a get-out-the-vote rally in Springfield, Maura Healey took exception to comments made by former state Inspector General Gregory Sullivan in the Boston Globe. Sullivan says Coakley’s office was not anxious to investigate former House Speaker Sal DiMasi. Moreover, Sullivan says, Coakley asked him to stop his probe of contributions made to some of DiMasi’s friends and associates by a software company pursuing lucrative state contracts. Healey, who joined Coakley’s office in 2007, calls Sullivan’s accusation untrue.

“I think that’s absolutely wrong and I think that the folks who worked with her in the office addressed that and spoke to that. That’s not what happened. Martha Coakley hasn’t been afraid to go after the biggest and the baddest actors out there on any number of fronts. That’s who Martha Coakley is,” says Healey.

Sullivan says he stands by his comments. Coakley is in a tight race against Republican Charlie Baker, who in the last couple days has won endorsements from the Globe and Springfield Republican newspapers.