Tracie Mauriello with the Post-Gazette breaks the news that former Republican State Representative and former chair of the House Republican Campaign Committee Brett Feese resigned his position as House Republican Chief Counsel today. Mauriello also reports that Feese was the recipient of one of Corbett's target letters sent to Republicans in recent weeks.Readers of CasablancaPA will remember that Feese appeared to spend a tremendous amount of time working on his private practice...even though he was the full-time House Republican Caucus Chief Counsel.
Rumors are also rampant that Al Bowman, longtime House Republican staff person and campaign operative, has been forced out of the caucus. Those in the Capitol will remember that Bowman was the taxpayer funded political mouthpiece for the HRCC in 2008.
It is ironic to read this quote from Bowman regarding state house elections last year:
"In terms of control of the state House, it really comes down to Bonsugate vs.Obama's popularity. All politics are still local, and while Barack is claiming he will usher in a new day as President, local state House Democrats are still being chased by the ghosts of their own corruption and inaction." (Inquirer 10/31/08)After that quote, we can only hope that karma catches up to Bowman...of course, Corbett hasn't arrested anyone yet.
12 comments:
We've already had over 1,000 days of Bonusgate. I can't wait to see what the next 1,000 or 2,000 days of Bonusgate will bring.
Look for some more trial delays: the last thing Corbett wants is for the game to end. It's a lie to say Bonusgate is about Corbett's 2010 gubernatorial campaign: with the victories of prosecutors (although resigned ones) in New Jersey and Virginia, Corbett seems to believe he's already got 2010 wrapped up.
What Bonusgate is now about is Corbett's 2012 shot at the Vice-Presidency, his 2014 gubernatorial re-election campaign, and the 2016 Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominations.
How much can poor legislative judgements be milked? Can Corbett get into the White House on the backs of Mike Veon, John Perzel, Brett Feese, Frank LaGrotta, and numerous legislative staffers of both parties?
We're about to find out. As Casablancapa has said, the amount of money spent on this investigation for purely political purposes far exceeds all the money spent in the House and the Senate for purely political purposes.
If ANY attorney general has the guts to investigate not only the legislature, but the turnpike commission (both of which were heretofore considered untouchable), we should give him all the credit in the world.
Corbett is about to charge Republicans in Bonusgate (that's what these retirements/resignations are about), and he's launched a probe into the very fertile playground of corruption and cronyism known as the PA Turnpike Authority.
We should be glad that an attorney general has taken abuses in these entities on, because realistically that's the only office that can.
We should hope that the next attorney general, whoever he or she is, will live up to the standard now being set.
he has the "guts" to investgate the turnpike, and the "balls" to include one of their top operatives on his fundraising host list... get real...
Guts to investigate the legislature??? You are kidding, right? You mean guts to investigate those who present the biggest obstacles to his path to power. The only HOUSE Republicans he has chosen to "investigate" are those who have not pledged their undying loyalty to the campaign of the "Governor-in-waiting". Further, by far, the most political caucus of the 4 is the Senate R's, and yet he is either turning a blind eye to them or is too inept to follow the obvious clues. What happened to the "four caucus investigation"? Or is he waiting to see how the state endorsement and primary elections go?
The guts to investigate the turnpike? Again, kidding, right? He is, in his usual fashion, investigating those whom he wants out so he can appoint his own political hack cronies...people like the Vice-Chair who is actively assisting in his fundraising efforts. I think it is safe to say that "generous" individual won't be "investigated".
Is there, or is there not an immunity agreement for Don Coreleone, I mean Bill DeWeese ?
"Anonymous said...Is there, or is there not an immunity agreement for Don Coreleone, I mean Bill DeWeese? November 7, 2009 11:26 AM"
Sorry, but this whole investigation did start with the HDC Emails.
It started with Frankie LaGrotta misuse of his former aide, Terry Shaffer, who first reported legislative wrongdoing to Corbett’s office.
Frank LaGrotta hired his sister (an elementary school teacher making a decent salary) and his niece for ‘ghost’ jobs in his office.
Instead of using his lown Stsffers to retire documents in his office that he later trashed since he could not produce evidence his sister and niece did anything.
In essence, getting paid from Harrisburg’s treasury for doing very little if not nothing.
They were reported to the attorney general by his Staffer, other Staffs admitted the violations, OAG investigated, and Frankie agreed to inform on his fellow Legislators that gave him a job after he lost his election and then pleaded guilty to save his pension.
Frank agreed to a lesser sentence in exchange for ratting on others in Harrisburg. Veon always protected LaGrotta as Majority Whip and this is how he rewarded Mike Veon and others.
Frank did not rat on the others in Harrisburg until he got caught, turned informant, admitted his guilt, and now is trying a different story.
Frank’s sister lost her job for lying but Frank kept his pension.
At the last Veon Fundrasier in Harisburg, Frankie could not look any Legislator in the eye because he was informing on them to save his Pension.
It all started with LaGrotta trying to pay his family over his Staffers that served him for years.
Not DeWeese!
Now some very good people had to give up
I do not know what they produced in Beaver County, so I looked up a definition of a Beaver. Here is what I found:
“A Beaver is a large brown rodent from the Rat Family with a slightly flattened tail which spends its life in and around streams. Beavers do more to shape their environment than almost any other animal species on Earth, building characteristic dams from trees and plant matter to house them and store food.
Many humans have contentious relationships with beavers as a result of their dam building, but they are actually a crucial species in the natural world, and many organizations work to bridge the gap between humans and beavers to create a habitat that works for all.”
Now let me change that for politicians like Frankie LaGrotta and Gerald LaValle:
A Beaver County Politicians such as Frank LaGrotta and Gerald LaValle are large big brown rodents’ faces from the Rat Family with a slightly flattened wallet, which spends its life in and around streams of public money.
Beaver County Politicians do more to shape their environment than almost any other animal species on Earth, building characteristic dams to stop legislation to clean up Harrisburg for a fee, in LaGrotta case, doing nothing after he is paid.
In LaValle’s case turning on Veon to save his wife from theft charges from United Way!
From wires on them and phone taps to houses themselves that store information for Grand Juries.
Many of these Politicians have contentious relationships with Investigators and former colleagues as a result of their dam legislation building.
But they are actually a crucial species in the political world, and many other Law Enforcement
Organizations work to bridge the gap between the Pension Pleas and Guilty Pleas to create a habitat that works for all in a concrete environment.
All Frankie wants is enough money to keep his Notre Dame Football Ticket so he can watch The Fighting Amish play PITT this weekend.
All LaValle wants is to blame Mike Veon for everything so he can retire to Florida!
Mike Veon will not go quietly into the night, and his teeth have yet to be shown, and will not be seen, bit some choping on trees will bleed.
It is sad, but you lack compassion for Frank LaGrotta and Gerald LaValle. Frankie and Gerry are just institutionalized political figures. These men have been in Harrisburg for over twenty years.
This is all they know. In Harrisburg, they were important men, both were educated men.
Outside they were nothing from faked journalists to part-time county jail guards, just nothing but used-up political cons artist with arthritis in both hands now.
Neither could not get a library card if they tried in Eldwood City or Rochester, but in Harrisburg, these guys were funny.
First, you hate 'em, and then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, it gets so you depend on 'em.
That's 'institutionalized'...The people of Beaver and Lawrence Counties sent them to Harrisburg for life’s pension and that's exactly what they take, the part that counts anyway and then when it comes to betraying friends they do that too.
LaGrotta the kid is long gone and LaValle an old man is all that's left.
All Politicians once they lose is thinking of ways to break there plea agreements and win another election so maybe they'd go back to Harrisburg.
It is a terrible thing to live in fear of wondering when you will meet up with the people that you caused to be charged with crimes due to your own misdeeds.
All the Defendants want is to be back where things make sense.
Where they won't have to be afraid all the time.
Only one thing stops them. A promise they made to their spouse.
HEY DUMMY, FRANKIE NEVER MARRIED, SO NO PROMISE TO ANY SPOUSE FOR HIM?
Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.
Until Frankie was caught, he went along for the ride. Then BOOM! Frankie is caught then rats on the others.
Wow, that says a lot about Frankie’ arrogant character. If he was a decent person, he would not have ratted on the others before he was caught. Did Frankie? NO!
Bribery should be added to Frankie resumé. Yeah, the plea bargain he took is nothing but a bribe
Where to start? A convicted and confessed criminal tries to rewrite the very history that he wrote in his own confession, before the court in public, admitting his guilt, now he says he was lying under oath? Is that Perjury?
How the electorate in his district ever voted for him is a mystery. Frankie was a lackey to the machine that the voters ran out of office, and now he seeks our sympathy.
Frankie has no one to blame for the disgrace that was brought to his family but himself, as it was his abuse of his elected position that made it all possible.
Mr. LaGrotta is the prototype for all that is wrong with Pennsylvania politics, and he is one of the reasons that many people have no respect whatsoever for politicians.
Now if Frankie would only go and crawl back under the rock where he blogs... who in the hell would buy that book...hes a sicko...and did it to save his Pension Money.
While guys like Manzo, Foreman, Lavelle, and the Brubakers, have lost their Pensions, all from an investigation started by a LaGrotta Aide because LaGrotta cut him out of boxing his office in favor of his sister and niece for about $20,000.
One final act to rob from the Taxpayers before he left office.
And, that also is very convenient, isn't it, Mr. LaGrotta?
Since you are innocent of these crime, sir, you find it decidedly *inconvenient* that the all papers you say were done by your sister and niece but were never found?
You know, there are some men who cannot stand too much perfection.
They see it as a disease, which must be stamped out at it's first rash showing.
The OAG must serve the law, or give up the right and privilege of service. It is only within that law that the OAG may use their discretions according to their mandate.
It's a melancholy fact. It's sad to see such qualities of mind bent to such a sorry purpose.
They're talking about reform in the House. You know what that means...it means the reforms are nearly a century overdue.
The people of the commonwealth demands that behind every peacemaker there be the gun, the gallows, the jail. Do you think it will always be so?
I think in order to respond properly, in all ignorance I do dare to understand.
As I read here I sense finality here.
Frankie’s Aides and Staffers possess too much knowledge for such lowly posts. This is what upset them that their own Boss did not think so and it is no flattery.
The only solution to every problem is when the Power Elite decides to purge the ranks of the leading political culprits that do not know it has nothing to do with justice, it was just their turn!
After all, they am what they am, and what the Green Dome in Harrisburg has made them.
Even the man who wields the whip cannot defy the code and must obey and not be broken by it eventually.
What can we all do but watch and wait?
No court would do more than strip LaGrotta as the voters did of his rank, office, and public service for such misconduct.
And then what?
Political Office goes on for new leaders that become comfortable to be slaughtered by the other men that cleanse the legislature, and find replacements for some.
The Media will refrain from attacking both while they settled petty differences.
No, we must give all of them their heads until some act puts them squarely counter to the law and then let the law consume him.
This is what happen and only a few of the best and brightest know it from the sources of the seven sisters.
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