Top leaders at the Massachusetts Republican Party called on an embattled Cape Cod Democrat to resign from his post after local police in Barnstable said federal prosecutors were investigating the lawmaker for “potential criminal activity.”

Barnstable police announced last week that U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy’s Office is investigating Rep. Chris Flanagan of Dennis Port after local law enforcement officials received a report in October alleging “potential criminal activity” involving Flanagan and his election campaign.

Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale said Flanagan, who made more than $100,000 last year, repeatedly “misled the public and violated campaign finance laws, as documented” by state regulators at the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

“His pattern of illegal actions has escalated to the point of federal scrutiny,” Carnevale said in a statement Tuesday shared first with the Herald. “This is not a partisan issue; it’s about restoring trust in our elected officials. Rep. Flanagan must resign immediately to uphold the integrity of the office he holds.”

In his first public comments since an investigation into him became public, Flanagan shot back at the MassGOP.

“Especially on the eve of Jan. 6, I’m not going to engage in political mudslinging. I’m proud to represent everyone in my district, whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or unaffiliated,” Flanagan said in a statement to the Herald.

In a brief statement Friday, the Barnstable Police Department announced that Levy’s office had “adopted” an investigation into Flanagan in December.

The revelation came roughly a month after Yarmouth police acknowledged an investigation into the sitting lawmaker for felony larceny over $1,200 and well after Flanagan was penalized for misleading state regulators about how a campaign mailer was paid for.

An officer at the Barnstable Police Department told the Herald Monday that the report alleging “potential criminal activity” the department received in October is the same one Yarmouth police already released to the public.

In that heavily redacted report dated Sept. 21 and filed by Flanagan’s former employer, the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, Yarmouth police accused Flanagan of “potential fraudulent use of a business account” and misusing tens of thousands of dollars.

 In one section of the report, police listed $26,500 as “stolen.”

But MassGOP Vice Chair Judy Crocker, who represents the Cape and Islands on the party’s state committee, said residents deserve a lawmaker who “prioritizes their interests — not someone under active federal investigation.”

“From misleading voters into believing he had Republican support to campaign finance violations documented by OCPF and now reports of tens of thousands of dollars allegedly being stolen, it’s clear that the trust has been broken,” Crocker said. “The jig is up.”

Massachusetts Republican Party officials suggested if Flanagan does not resign that there is precedent for Democrats who hold a supermajority in the House to vote to expel him because a criminal investigation was opened.

Lawmakers in 2014 voted to boot out former Rep. Carlos Henriquez, a Dorchester Democrat, after he was found guilty and sentenced to six months in the Middlesex County House of Corrections for holding down and punching a then-girlfriend after she would not have sex with him in July 2012.

House lawmakers voted 146-5 to expel him after he declined to resign from his position.

“This time, lawmakers should not wait until a conviction as it’s impossible for Flanagan to serve ethically under the cloud of a federal investigation,” MassGOP officials said in their statement.

Top leaders at the Massachusetts Republican Party called on an embattled Cape Cod Democrat to resign from his post after local police in Barnstable said federal prosecutors were investigating the lawmaker for “potential criminal activity.”

Barnstable police announced last week that U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy’s Office is investigating Rep. Chris Flanagan of Dennis Port after local law enforcement officials received a report in October alleging “potential criminal activity” involving Flanagan and his election campaign.

Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale said Flanagan, who made more than $100,000 last year, repeatedly “misled the public and violated campaign finance laws, as documented” by state regulators at the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

“His pattern of illegal actions has escalated to the point of federal scrutiny,” Carnevale said in a statement Tuesday shared first with the Herald. “This is not a partisan issue; it’s about restoring trust in our elected officials. Rep. Flanagan must resign immediately to uphold the integrity of the office he holds.”

In his first public comments since an investigation into him became public, Flanagan shot back at the MassGOP.

“Especially on the eve of Jan. 6, I’m not going to engage in political mudslinging. I’m proud to represent everyone in my district, whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or unaffiliated,” Flanagan said in a statement to the Herald.

In a brief statement Friday, the Barnstable Police Department announced that Levy’s office had “adopted” an investigation into Flanagan in December.

The revelation came roughly a month after Yarmouth police acknowledged an investigation into the sitting lawmaker for felony larceny over $1,200 and well after Flanagan was penalized for misleading state regulators about how a campaign mailer was paid for.

An officer at the Barnstable Police Department told the Herald Monday that the report alleging “potential criminal activity” the department received in October is the same one Yarmouth police already released to the public.

In that heavily redacted report dated Sept. 21 and filed by Flanagan’s former employer, the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, Yarmouth police accused Flanagan of “potential fraudulent use of a business account” and misusing tens of thousands of dollars.

 In one section of the report, police listed $26,500 as “stolen.”

But MassGOP Vice Chair Judy Crocker, who represents the Cape and Islands on the party’s state committee, said residents deserve a lawmaker who “prioritizes their interests — not someone under active federal investigation.”

“From misleading voters into believing he had Republican support to campaign finance violations documented by OCPF and now reports of tens of thousands of dollars allegedly being stolen, it’s clear that the trust has been broken,” Crocker said. “The jig is up.”

Massachusetts Republican Party officials suggested if Flanagan does not resign that there is precedent for Democrats who hold a supermajority in the House to vote to expel him because a criminal investigation was opened.

Lawmakers in 2014 voted to boot out former Rep. Carlos Henriquez, a Dorchester Democrat, after he was found guilty and sentenced to six months in the Middlesex County House of Corrections for holding down and punching a then-girlfriend after she would not have sex with him in July 2012.

House lawmakers voted 146-5 to expel him after he declined to resign from his position.

“This time, lawmakers should not wait until a conviction as it’s impossible for Flanagan to serve ethically under the cloud of a federal investigation,” MassGOP officials said in their statement.