PA2010.Com reports today that Republican State Rep. Curt Schroder brought onto his congressional campaign team Mike Long to handle the direct mail in his primary bid.
This is just another sign that even the most obvious suspects for investigation and indictment in partisan Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett's bonusgate investigation have nothing to worry about whenever Corbett finally gets around to his much anticipated round two of indictments.
As we all remember, Corbett told the Tribune Review in February that they will "shock the conscience" of Pennsylvanians. Now, we can all erase Long from this list of possible arrests.
Corbett or his taxpayer-funded campaign manager, Brian Nutt, obviously gave the all-clear sign to Schroder that he was perfectly safe in bringing Long onto his campaign team with no fear of any splashback due to an indictment of Long.
After all, why would Schroder who says on his campaign website that he is "one of the top reformers in the General Assembly" risk the embarassment of bringing onto his campaign team Mike Long who received $41,405 in bonuses for 2005 and 2006 -- more than any other state legislative employee.
At the same time Long received these astronomical bonuses, the media referred to him as the Senate Republicans':
-- "chief campaign strategist" (Post Gazette)
-- "political guru" (Patriot News)
-- "a homegrown version of White House political czar Karl Rove" (Morning Call)
-- "top political aide" (Capitolwire)
Only the most gullible will deny what most in the Capitol have know for years...Long (and other well-known Senate Republican political operatives like Drew Crompton and Suzanne O'Berry) were given bonuses for the campaign work they did for their bosses.
In a letter to the Pottstown Mercury on 9/6/2008, Schroder gave his reasons for wanting to convene a state constitutional convention:
"Bonuses for legislative staffers, grand jury investigations and corruption charges against state officials have shaken the public's confidence in our state government...That is why I am calling for a constitutional convention."
Here at CasablancaPA, we guess by hiring Long, Schroder isn't worried about charges of hypocrisy either.
For God's sake, fellows, get yourself some quality lawyers. You just don't understand the law.
ReplyDeleteThe law specificly says it's a crime "for Mike Veon and staffers under his direction" to "engage in political activities during regular working hours or using government-paid facilities." There is nothing in the law saying anyone else cannot engage in political activities during regular working hours or using government-paid facilities."
In other words, if Mike Veon does it, it's illegal. If anyone else does it, it's perfectly legal. It's so clear, it's amazing you don't get it. Where's your beef?
This law must have been snuck in a conference committee report thousands of pages long when no one else was looking. Tom Corbett wants to enforce it to send a clear message to each and every legislator that they should read each and every line of each and every bill.
No way Veon did this alone, Todd Eachus of Hazelton fame is part of this too.
ReplyDeleteMike Veon motion has thrown every Democrat under the Bus.
ReplyDeleteThe Republicans can easily win the senate and governorship in 2010, and house too.
All one has to do is reprint his motion articles, emails, and documents.
The voters are going to throw out many Democratic Incumbents in 2010.
Thank you Mike Veon.
Beware, Beware, he will cheat without scruple, who can without fear.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I read on Veon's court documents, Rachel Manzo did not deserve to be charged, she did was she was hired to do. The person that supervised her should be indicted, in my opnion.
ReplyDeleteThey only indicted her so Mike Manzo would cooperate, this is just my opinion, but I have to be fair
I hope Rachel is treated fairly.
Just Rachel, and none of the other employees whose boss didn't get indicted?
ReplyDeleteJust because a person's supervisor directed them to do illegal activities does not make them innocent. We all must make tough choices and unfortunately for Rachel Manzo...she made the wrong choice. I'm sure it was difficult for her to walk away from a high paying job that was given to her because of her husband, but in the end she broke the law and there are reprecussions for such violations. Her actions are no different then if a plumber was told by their supervisor to charge a customer extra for a job, skim off the top, and pocket the extra money. People want to claim that there is a gray line, but in the end we are only left with right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteI read the Veon filings, what I am saying is most of the work Rachel was doing was organizing Speakers Engagements with the citizens with Rendell's Secretaries and Department Heads.
ReplyDeleteI call that CONSTITUENT SERVICE not CAMPAIGNING. There is nothing wrong in braining State Higher Ups to Districts to talk to citizens, inform citizens of various benefits, and most importantly listen to citizens for feedback.
If we are going to put these kinds of actions in criminality then start arresting all Public Servants for everyday campaigning for constituent service.
Rachel Manzo only mistake was her compensation increasing so fast and the eyes of envy of other employees usually turn into informants out of jealousy and finding crimes where only arrogances exists.
We all can be guilty of that anytime and anywhere and any job.
In closing, read the Veon Papers, see if Rachel Manzo arranging meetings with the public is illegal. I do not think so, and that is just my opinion right now.
Unless someone else has something to more to reveal on what I cannot read?
There is a lot more to this investigation then just the Veon filings. For example, here is a portion of an article that references Lagrotta's comments regarding the "work" of Rachel Manzo:
ReplyDeleteIn the grand jury report, LaGrotta, the minority chairman of the tourism and recreational development committee in 2006, testified that Rachel Manzo, the then-executive director of the tourism committee, "had very little work to do."
LaGrotta testified that Manzo would leave her job to work on Veon's primary campaign against Big Beaver resident Jay Paisley. Manzo supposedly used compensatory time to campaign, but LaGrotta said she did nothing to earn that time and he never approved any leave.
"I never signed a leave slip in my life," he said Saturday.
LaGrotta said that when he became chairman of the committee, he received a letter from DeWeese telling him that all his staff members reported directly to DeWeese. (http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/site/news.cfm?dept_id=563781&newsid=19847966)
There are a few problems with that article.
ReplyDeleteEachus and Veon ran the Re-election efforts as DeWeese was traveling to promote the Democratic Agenda.
Now Manzo DeWeese's Chief of Staff was running the entire operation and his wife was part of it.
Finally, LaGrotta caused much the investigations since he hired his sister and niece without anyone knowing until one of his disgruntled staffers reported him to the AG Office.
Frank paid his dues and price for his actions, and deserves forgiveness.
All of the Defendants including Veon and Manzo, and many other people working in Harrisburg, violated mostly ethical standards more than any crimes.
We are having a witch-hunt in Harrisburg more than any clean-up.