PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In a stunning political move, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has hired former GOP campaign manager Jeff Britt — an infamous thorn-in-the-side to at least two past Speakers — as his own $25,000 political consultant through election day.

Britt, who is now on the payroll of Democrat Mattiello's "Fund for Democratic Leadership," was last seen on the Rhode Island political stage as campaign manager for 2014 Republican gubernatorial contender Ken Block. But he has worked both sides of the aisle and in-between as one-time Republican Gov. Donald L. Carcieri's "liaison" to the dissident Democrats in the House.

"Hiring Britt is like hiring a B-1 bomber to shoot down a drone," quipped former WJAR investigative reporter Jim Taricani on Twitter. (Britt's response: "I think there is a compliment in that tweet so thank you sir.")

When asked directly if he hired Britt to keep the GOP from hiring him in this unpredictable political season, Mattiello said: "This has nothing to do with any concern that I may have politically. I feel very comfortable that myself, my team and all the Democratic House members are [in a] very good ... position with their constituents because of the good work we've done on their behalf."

Mattiello listed business, inheritance and Social Security tax cuts among the lawmakers' accomplishments during this two-year session, along with the passage of Governor Raimondo's toll-and-bond-backed bridge repair plan.

As for why he hired Britt, in particular, to help with research and strategy, Mattiello said: "I like hiring the most talented people to serve the best interests of my team and the citizens of the state of Rhode Island,'' and "he will be available for hire by myself and other House Democrats."

In December, Britt, 47, of Warwick, switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent.

In 2002, he helped his stepfather, Bruce Bayuk, a virtual unknown, mount a write-in campaign that nearly toppled the most powerful politician in Rhode Island: then-House Speaker John Harwood. Democrat Harwood ultimately won by 124 votes, but announced two days after the Nov. 7 election that he would not seek reelection as Speaker.

Britt had roles in then-General Treasurer Frank Caprio's 2010 campaign for governor, as a Democrat; and independent Mark Binder's strong, but ultimately unsuccessful, 2012 challenge to then-Speaker Gordon D. Fox in his home district.

Britt also had a behind-the-scenes role in the 2012 primary defeat of state Rep. Peter Petrarca, a top deputy on Fox's leadership team, by current state Rep. Gregory Costantino, D-Lincoln.

Britt also worked for the state GOP. His job: to advance Carcieri's agenda. With so few elected Republicans in the General Assembly, Carcieri described him as his "liaison with the dissident Democrats."

As he once described his role to The Journal, he would do "opposition research," and make sure his findings made their way to media outlets, as he did in 2010 with information that then-candidate Lincoln Chafee had been paid between $50,001 and $100,000 for serving on the board of the Foundation for Effective Governance in Ukraine, funded by a controversial Ukrainian billionaire.

But "my personal highlight was probably the 'lipstick on a pig' night,'' said Britt, recalling his unseen 2004 role in making sure then-House Speaker William Murphy's leadership was unable to muster the two-thirds vote needed to pass the budget. "Ken McKay bet me I couldn't do it,'' said Britt, of Carcieri's one-time chief of staff.