It seems pretty clear that charges against Rachel Manzo will be withdrawn, as has been speculated for months, in exchange for Mike Manzo's plea agreement.
If that's true, we can assume that Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett isn't interested in Rachel Manzo's testimony.
And if Corbett had any plans to indict House Majority Leader Todd Eachus, who was Rachel Manzo's boss for two years before she was arrested, and who directly supervised the activities for which she is charged, he'd be pretty interested in Rachel Manzo's testimony.
(Then again, considering Corbett's general level of competence throughout the Bonusgate investigation, he may plan to prosecute Todd Eachus using the testimony of Balloon Boy Falcon Heene.)
Corbett has repeatedly claimed he's ordered his investigators to follow the evidence wherever it leads. Evidence that Eachus ordered caucus staff and a taxpayer-funded contractor to perform political work? Evidence that Eachus knew about the campaign volunteer list maintained by Eric Webb that was allegedly used to award bonuses in 2006? Evidence that Eachus coordinated appearances by Cabinet secretaries in targeted incumbent districts for campaign purposes, an effort that made extensive use of caucus resources?
Perhaps Corbett doesn't feel these activities rise to the level of crime. Yet he charged others - including Rachel Manzo - for their involvement in these very same activities.
Speculation remains high in the Capitol that indictments still are on the horizon for Eachus, former House Majority Leader H. William DeWeese, and Revenue Secretary Steve Stetler, former chair of the House Democratic Campaign Committee. Anything's possible.
But the absence of a plea agreement for Rachel Manzo is a strong sign that Eachus is in the clear. And this week's leak about invitations to testify to the grand jury did not include Eachus, DeWeese or Stetler. Considering the heat Corbett already has taken for his failure to indict DeWeese in particular, we find it hard to believe he wouldn't try to diffuse the criticism if he could by including DeWeese's name.
13 comments:
It is an interesting pattern. The primary source of "speculation" on Corbett's next move (or lack of a move) is you. Then you report on the "speculation" as though it is coming from a wider audience or respectable source.
Plea bargains happen all the time. You know no more about what's going on with Rachel Manzo than the man in the moon.
When it comes to veracity and attempted manipulation of the public, the father of "Ballon Boy" Falcon Henne would be much more at home blogging on CasablancaPA than testifying as part of Corbett's investigation.
Let us see now you exonerate Todd Eachus by saying Rachel Manzo charges will be dropped by Mike Manzo's Testimony.
Nevertheless, you still expect Bill DeWeese and Steler to be indicted on what, made up Testimony?
Team Casa is missing the entire point, 5 of 6 Charged will be testifying against the 6 that remain, and that means the evidence has led to Team Casa more than anyone else.
Signor Ferrari's comments have heuristic value; they are speculations, not statements of fact.
So far: no incumbents and no Republicans and some big fish swimming away while little fish have been netted.
The media in southeast have not given Bonusgate the attention it deserves. At least, 458 Democratic House staffers have been interviewed and, it seems reasonable to think, many Republican House staffers.
Casablancapa remains the premier site for aggregation of information and informed speculation.
If this is Mike Veon and Brett Cott, one understands the anonymity although I do prefer names and accountability. The anonymity that other courageously anonymous posters mask themselves is puzzling.
"bobguzzardi said...The anonymity that other courageously anonymous posters mask themselves is puzzling. October 25, 2009 8:40 PM"
JUST FOLLOWING IN THE FOOT STEPS OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS!
Sorry, after reading most of the articles here.
No matter how one tries to frame it, Gossip is not proof in a court of law.
Beliefs are not facts, innuendo is not the truth, and testimony alone requires additional documents to serve as evidence.
Assumptions are like Hypotheticals, they prove nothing and are always are created as means to hide the real facts not prove them.
If Rachel Manzo is not charged, there is no way Todd Eachus can be charged.
I post on condition of anonymity as I am not authorized to speak on this subject.
An Anonymous Poster
I post under condition of anonymity because everyone would be able to a put a name to the person they now call "huge jackass." Oh, what the hell, I am Keyser Söze
Good football and fun, meet fundraising
By Katy Hopkins
10/26/09 06:37 PM ET
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — This college town, ranked the best football tailgating spot in the country, has another superlative, at least to some: It’s the “premier tailgate in Pennsylvania for good, strong conservatives.”
Food, football and fun, meet fundraising.
And that’s what happened to Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) earlier this month at the Penn State-Minnesota game.
Thompson arrived at the Oct. 17 game with a small entourage of supporters from Washington.
They were there to see Matt Shaner, whose weekly tailgates are a must-attend for the state’s conservative politicians.
On paper, the meeting looked awkward: Shaner ran against Thompson in last year’s Republican primary to replace retiring Rep. John Peterson (R).
But Shaner said there were no hard feelings when Thompson requested to stop by — something many Pennsylvania conservatives have done in the past.
“People know, if you’re running on the Republican ticket in Pennsylvania, Matt Shaner has a big tailgate,” Shaner said.
When Shaner isn’t throwing weekly tailgates or running for office, he works for a family-owned hotel management company.
The Shaners also own an investment company and are the namesake for and substantial financiers of the Shaner Republican Center, the state’s GOP headquarters.
Their conservative tailgate has been a known quantity for Keystone State lawmakers for about 20 years, attendees said.
Shaner said when lawmakers and congressional hopefuls call him, he usually grants their requests to stop by — unless they’re a “bad Republican.”
“If Arlen Specter would have called me and asked to stop by, I probably would have said no,” he said of the Pennsylvania senator who abandoned the Republican Party and became a Democrat earlier this year.
Shaner said each week’s tailgate usually features a conservative lawmaker or two and will draw a crowd upwards of 70 people.
But for the Penn State-Minnesota game, only about 30 conservatives stuck it out through the frigid rain and temperatures in the low 30s. Tailgaters, bundled up in layers of navy blue and white, huddled beneath three makeshift tents constructed off the side of an RV.
“We are all for global warming, by the way,” joked tailgate attendee Plato Ghinos, who is also the senior vice president of franchise relations and development at Shaner Hotels.
Attendees enjoyed a spread of fried chicken, meatball subs and finger foods, sipped soft drinks or hard liquor and networked — the key component to the Shaner tailgate’s success.
LINK
http://thehill.com/capital-living/64849-good-football-and-fun-meet-fundraising
CONTINUED.......FROM ABOVE
Tom Corbett, the Pennsylvania state attorney general who is running for governor next year, is well-aware of the networking potential at Shaner’s tailgates.
He has been making appearances since the mid-1990s, he said, to chat with friends, schmooze with potential donors and campaign in a relaxed setting.
“You have a beer in your hand and suddenly [people] say, ‘Oh, wait a minute, you’re not a stiff politician,’ ” Corbett explained. Before the game against Minnesota, he circulated “Governor Tom Corbett” business cards and mingled with the crowd.
Thompson, whose district includes State College, is not the first congressional delegate from Pennsylvania to take advantage of a Shaner tailgate.
Republicans who have stopped by in the past include Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).
Todd Palin, the husband of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), parked in the spot next to the tailgate last year, and congressional hopeful and former gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann (R-Pa.) has made an appearance, Shaner said.
Shaner added that a politician’s decision to turn an appearance into a campaign fundraiser is an issue independent of the tailgate.
But Steve Miller, another employee at Shaner Investments who attended the tailgate, noted that sports events offer more than bankroll incentives for politicians.
“Baseball might be America’s pastime, but football is America’s passion,” Miller reflected. “Football is a great equalizer.”
Although they meet weekly near the Joe Paterno statue a stone’s throw away from the legendary Beaver Stadium, Miller estimated that only half of the usual tailgaters are alumni of the university.
“It’s not about the degree as much as it is that team in there,” Miller said, cocking his head toward the stadium.
And of course, an even more important affiliation to have is with the Republican Party.
“We have a wide network of friends that are good, strong conservatives,” Miller said. “We have no problem opening ourselves up to our good friends.”
Another conservative who dropped by the Oct. 17 pre-party was Rep. Erik Paulsen (R- Minn.). He came to support fellow freshman colleague Thompson and his state’s Big Ten team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who happened to be the Penn State Nittany Lions’ opponent that day.
Decked out in a navy blue jacket and cap, the only accessory distinguishing Paulsen from the hordes of Penn State fans was a small Golden Gophers pin on his hat.
He’s a loyal fan of the Gophers, though — the weekend before, he caught their game in Minnesota, where, he said, it was less snowy than State College.
Thompson said a Big Ten rivalry has yet to erode their friendship, although a playful ribbing between the two is evident.
“We’ll be good friends at the end of the day — when the Nittany Lions prevail,” Thompson laughed. (Penn State shut out Minnesota, 20-0.)
And Paulsen perked up at the idea of an ongoing rivalry in the Cannon House Office Building, where the men work in adjacent offices.
“We may have to start that up,” Paulsen said. On second thought, “We’re starting it up today!”
This playful fusion of politics and football keeps tailgaters, lawmakers and Shaner employees coming back to the events, which attendees said often include post-game festivities as well.
“This isn’t just fundraising,” Corbett said. “This is fun.”
http://thehill.com/capital-living/64849-good-football-and-fun-meet-fundraising
reeCONTINUED.......FROM ABOVE
Tom Corbett, the Pennsylvania state attorney general who is running for governor next year, is well-aware of the networking potential at Shaner’s tailgates.
He has been making appearances since the mid-1990s, he said, to chat with friends, schmooze with potential donors and campaign in a relaxed setting.
“You have a beer in your hand and suddenly [people] say, ‘Oh, wait a minute, you’re not a stiff politician,’ ” Corbett explained. Before the game against Minnesota, he circulated “Governor Tom Corbett” business cards and mingled with the crowd.
Thompson, whose district includes State College, is not the first congressional delegate from Pennsylvania to take advantage of a Shaner tailgate.
Republicans who have stopped by in the past include Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).
Todd Palin, the husband of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), parked in the spot next to the tailgate last year, and congressional hopeful and former gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann (R-Pa.) has made an appearance, Shaner said.
Shaner added that a politician’s decision to turn an appearance into a campaign fundraiser is an issue independent of the tailgate.
But Steve Miller, another employee at Shaner Investments who attended the tailgate, noted that sports events offer more than bankroll incentives for politicians.
“Baseball might be America’s pastime, but football is America’s passion,” Miller reflected. “Football is a great equalizer.”
Although they meet weekly near the Joe Paterno statue a stone’s throw away from the legendary Beaver Stadium, Miller estimated that only half of the usual tailgaters are alumni of the university.
“It’s not about the degree as much as it is that team in there,” Miller said, cocking his head toward the stadium.
And of course, an even more important affiliation to have is with the Republican Party.
“We have a wide network of friends that are good, strong conservatives,” Miller said. “We have no problem opening ourselves up to our good friends.”
Another conservative who dropped by the Oct. 17 pre-party was Rep. Erik Paulsen (R- Minn.). He came to support fellow freshman colleague Thompson and his state’s Big Ten team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who happened to be the Penn State Nittany Lions’ opponent that day.
Decked out in a navy blue jacket and cap, the only accessory distinguishing Paulsen from the hordes of Penn State fans was a small Golden Gophers pin on his hat.
He’s a loyal fan of the Gophers, though — the weekend before, he caught their game in Minnesota, where, he said, it was less snowy than State College.
Thompson said a Big Ten rivalry has yet to erode their friendship, although a playful ribbing between the two is evident.
“We’ll be good friends at the end of the day — when the Nittany Lions prevail,” Thompson laughed. (Penn State shut out Minnesota, 20-0.)
And Paulsen perked up at the idea of an ongoing rivalry in the Cannon House Office Building, where the men work in adjacent offices.
“We may have to start that up,” Paulsen said. On second thought, “We’re starting it up today!”
This playful fusion of politics and football keeps tailgaters, lawmakers and Shaner employees coming back to the events, which attendees said often include post-game festivities as well.
“This isn’t just fundraising,” Corbett said. “This is fun.”
http://thehill.com/capital-living/64849-good-football-and-fun-meet-fundraising
The rumor mill in Harrisburg has been insane this week, with folks mostly speculating that Corbett is about to drop the boom on one or more of the following: DeWeese, Perzel, Preski, Eachus, Bowman, Hanley, Seaman, Zimmerman, Stetler, Wright, and Armstrong. Perhaps the surest sign that something is in fact going down soon is the uncharacteristic reticence of Team Casa......
I have always supported measures and principles and not men.
In the southern part of Texas, in the town of San Antone,
There's a fortress all in ruin that the weeds have overgrown.
You may look in vain for crosses and you'll never see a one,
But sometime between the setting and the rising of the sun,
You can hear a ghostly bugle as the men go marching by;
You can hear them as they answer to that roll call in the sky:
James Brown, Pennsylvania
John Cane, Pennsylvania
David P. Cummings, Pennsylvania
Almeron Dickinson, Pennsylvania
Samuel Holloway, Pennsylvania
William Johnson, Pennsylvania
William Irvine Lewis, Pennsylvania
John Purdy Reynolds, Pennsylvania
John M. Thurston, Pennsylvania
John Wilson, Pennsylvania
Well, the men came from Texas and from old Pennsylvania and Tennessee,
And they joined up just to fight for the right to be free.
They stood together heel and toe to defend the Alamo.
Twice he charged, then blew recall.
On the fatal third time,
Santa Anna breached the wall and he killed them one and all.
Now the bugles are silent and there's rust on each sword,
And the small band of soldiers lie asleep in the arms of The Lord.
In the southern part of Texas, near the town of San Antone,
Like a statue on his Pinto rides a cowboy all alone.
And he sees the cattle grazin' where a century before,
And his eyes turn sort of misty, and his heart begins to glow,
And he takes his hat off slowly to the men of Alamo.
To the thirteen days of glory at the seige of Alamo.
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