In the wake of a Channel 10 report Thursday night about her position, state Democratic Party chairman William Lynch accused Republican Carcieri of violating the state’s anti-nepotism law.

The Democratic party issued a press release headlined: “Don’t you wish you had an Uncle Don too? ‘’ State Republican Party Chairman Giovanni Cicione called it “laughable for Chairman Bill Lynch, whose politically connected family has a long history of employment in government posts, to try to press a nepotism charge against the Governor...when no violation exists.’’ (Lynch’s family includes his brother, Atty. Gen. Patrick C. Lynch.)

And what does the law say?

The state’s ethic law has for decades banned public officials from using their public offices to benefit themselves or members of their families. In 1991, the first in a series of regulations was adopted that defined family as a spouse, dependent child and a select group of relatives “by blood, marriage or adoption,’’ including “parents, grandparents, adult children, siblings, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and first cousins.’’

In February 2007, the Ethics Commission adopted a new nepotism regulation aimed at clarifying any possible confusion around the disparate pieces of the earlier law and regulations. It says, in part: “No person subject to the Code of Ethics shall participate in any matter as part of his or her public duties if he or she has reason to believe or expect that any person within his or her family, or any household member…will derive a direct monetary gain or suffer a direct monetary loss, or obtain an employment advantage.’’

The definition of family was extended to include: step-niece and niece-in-law.

Carcieri would not respond to Journal inquiries today, but went on Dan Yorke’s WPRO radio talk show to announce his intention to seek an ethics opinion. While spokesman Jeff Neal would not say if Carcieri asked for the air time or made the time in response to a request for an on-air interview, he said: “I do not expect the Governor to grant any additional interviews today.’’

In the meantime, the governor’s office issued a statement in which Carcieri “disputed a suggestion by WJAR Channel 10 that he violated the state Ethics Code,’’ but said he would seek an advisory opinion on Accaputo’s “continued employment in state government.’’

Based on his reading of the law, “neither the statute nor the regulation in place at the time (of her hiring) clearly barred the employment of a public official’s niece-in-law. No such provision was enacted until 2007.’’

In a brief interview today, Lynch said he had not decided whether to file a formal ethics complaint against Carcieri, but the governor’s pledge to go to the Ethics Commission on his own for an opinion might mitigate the need.