Looks like Pennsylvania is going to need a new Attorney General

Good day all. It’s been a busy one and I haven’t even dug into the French killing the terrorists involved with the Charlie Hebdo murders. This one is a little different. The Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania has a little corruption problem.

A Special Prosecutor looking into the antics of AG Kathleen G. Kane have recommended criminal charges be brought against her for Perjury and Contempt of Court. Here are the details from Philly.com:

The special prosecutor and grand jury investigating allegations that Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane leaked secret information to a newspaper have found evidence of wrongdoing and recommended that she be criminally charged, according to numerous people familiar with the decision.

Kane won the election for the office in 2012, riding the coattails of that schmuck, Barack Obama. Once she was sworn in, she started shutting down corruption cases against a number of political figures in Pennsylvania. Oh, she is a Democrat and remarkably, so were a number the politicians being investigated by the prior AG. Interesting coincidence. So, what did this pinnacle of judicial ethics actually do? Well, according to the Grand Jury:

The panel concluded that Kane violated grand-jury secrecy rules by leaking investigative material in a bid to embarrass political enemies, sources said. Some of those familiar with the grand jury presentment say it recommended charges that included perjury and contempt of court.

Oh boy, that’s what we call a Bozo No No for lawyers of any sort. While a lawyer might get hit with a contempt charge during the course of a trial, (They do tend to get rather enthusiastic at times), I don’t recall when one was charged by a grand jury rather then a judge. As to the lying? Well, she is a Democrat after all.

The statewide grand jury, sitting in Norristown, has turned over its findings to Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, who must decide whether to affirm its findings and arrest Kane, the state’s top law enforcement official. Ferman declined to comment Thursday.

I’m not surprised that the DA isn’t commenting. First he has just had a nuclear hand grenade land in his lap. Second, he really can’t make any comments right now. So what happens next?

If the prosecutor files a criminal case, it would represent a stunning fall for Kane, 48, who won in a landslide in 2012 to become the first woman and Democrat elected attorney general.

As you might expect, Kane is denying any wrong doing.

“The attorney general has done nothing wrong or illegal and, to my knowledge, there is no credible evidence that she has,” her lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, said in a statement Thursday. “She told the truth to the grand jury at all times. I hope the district attorney will reach same conclusion.”

Actually, if I understand how these things work, a recommendation to charge Kathleen Kane by a grand jury is serious, and if the DA didn’t press charges, would have an awful lot of explaining to do, like Kane does. As I mentioned above, Kane is not exactly noted for being a nonpartisan defender of the justice system.

Kane’s tenure has been marked by controversy over the last year, much of it generated by an Inquirer disclosure that she had secretly shut down an undercover “sting” investigation that had caught elected officials from Philadelphia on tape accepting cash.

I recall that story and if I remember correctly, the investigators were furious with her, especially with her excuses for why she shut it down. (Claimed it was all due to racism. I guess the targets were black or something) Well, someone else took up the gauntlet she threw in the trash.

That case was resurrected by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, who has charged a former Traffic Court judge and two state legislators with bribery.

So there really wasn’t anything there, was there? And I think I see the Titanic pulling into New York on the News right now. So, will Kane be cuffed and perp walked now? Not quite yet it seems.

Ferman is conducting an independent review of the grand jury presentment, sources say, a process that could take several months. Philadelphia lawyer L. George Parry, a former prosecutor, said it made sense for Ferman to dig into the facts independently. While arrests are typically made immediately after a presentment has been issued, Parry said, “this is really an unusual situation.

Gee, you think?

“I wouldn’t fault her at all for wanting to review this,” he said. “They are dropping a real hot potato on her. If, in fact, there is a presentment that calls for charging the attorney general of Pennsylvania, I would think that any responsible adult would want to read over things very carefully before committing to take on the case.”

I can see a number of reasons why District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman is being very cautious with this case. To begin with, Ms. Ferman is a Republican, and you know that will be brought up in any case brought against Kane. Still, Kane has not been covering herself in glory since she took office, and apparently isn’t as skilled and dodging investigations as a certain Attorney General of the United States is.

I guess the question is, will Kane resign? (Doubtful. She’s way to corrupt and arrogant) Will the legislature impeach her? (Highly unlikely since it takes two thirds to boot her out, and the legislature has enough crooks Democrats in it to protect her. I guess it will be a trial and Kane is going to be looking at a long, hot summer.

Thatisall

~The Angry Webmaster~

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