During a campaign stop this week, Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett called for some changes in the law.
Problem is, he's already charged someone with violating this new law that he hasn't invented yet.
Capitolwire reporter Laura Olson wrote yesterday:
"[Corbett] also pointed to the accusations against [former state Rep. Mike] Veon as an example of the need to switch the legislative daily expense system from a flat amount to reimburse only for actual expenses. Veon and others allegedly used taxpayer funds to pay for meals after weeknight basketball games. 'They double-dipped' by taking per diems and charging meals to legislative accounts, he said."
If there's a need to change the law, then what Veon did must not be illegal yet. But Corbett charged him with a crime (quite a few, actually), so what he did must already be illegal. But if it's already illegal, there must not be a need to change the law.
Oh, politically-motivated criminal prosecutions are so confusing!
Many members of the House, who commonly used contingency accounts to purchase meals and still collected full per diems also were confused, so House Comptroller Alexis Brown issued a memo to clarify:
"We have received an advisory opinion from a tax attorney assuring us there are no tax consequences for members receiving a per diem when the employer (the House)provides a meal for the benefit of the member on the employer's premises [as all Veon's Tuesday night dinners were]. Thus, when the Chief Clerk provides meals in the rear of the chamber due to our session schedule, or when a meal is provided during a caucus or committee meeting [such as a meeting of the deputy whips], there are no tax consequences for members, and thus, no need to adjust any per diems for that day."
The memo was issued September 8, 2008, two months after Veon was arrested for abiding by the very advice contained in the memo.
And now, nearly two years after indicting Veon for claiming per diems after consuming House-paid meals, Corbett calls for outlawing the claiming of per diems after consuming House-paid meals.
We're pretty sure Corbett attended law school (though perhaps not a "Top Ten" school like one of our recent commenters); did his law professors ever mention that prosecutors can charge people with violating only existing laws, not imaginary laws that the prosecutors wish existed?
And it shouldn't take a law professor to recognize that if a prosecutor wants to pretend that the law already exists, (since he's already charged someone with violating it) perhaps he shouldn't go around the state demanding that it be created.
13 comments:
Surra says OAG agents tried to intimidate him and called him a f-ing liar. Judge says to move to another line of questioning. Now we know where he stands.
"[Corbett] also pointed to the accusations against [former state Rep. Mike] Veon as an example of the need to switch the legislative daily expense system from a flat amount to reimburse only for actual expenses. Veon and others allegedly used taxpayer funds to pay for meals after weeknight basketball games. 'They double-dipped' by taking per diems and charging meals to legislative accounts, he said."
Funny, I guess Candidate Corbett forgot all those years when Republicans were in charge of the Republican Governorship, Republican Majority Senate, and Republican Majority House and never once did they call for REFORMS????
Corbett's Hypocrisy seems to have no bounds when his best political mentor, Republican Robert Jubelrier ran the senate, and Republican Speaker of House Matt Ryan and Republican John Perzel, and Republican Governors Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker ran Pennsylvania for over a DECADE, and yet no REFORMS?
All of sudden Republican Candidate Tom Corbett is calling for REFORMS???
Why doesn't Corbett REFORM his own 800 Employees Office of Attorney General first, by dumping Jubelriers Campaign Staffers that got the biggest Bonuses without an investigation FIRST????
How can a Candidate such as Corbett work with all these Republicans for over a Decade and not call for any REFORMS back when????
The Hypocrisy Of Tome Corbett Record!
Anonymous said...
Surra says OAG agents tried to intimidate him and called him a f-ing liar. Judge says to move to another line of questioning. Now we know where he stands.....March 8, 2010 12:46 PM
Judge Lewis will be overturn on Appeal, but of course the election will be opver by then, which is what this Trial is all about!
its a funny thing that just weeks ago everyone thought this and that about Mike Veon.. NOW tha the trial looks like its taking a turn for the good of Mike he all of a sudden has friends again... where was everyone last month? last year? even two years ago? you sure werent around then.. Mike knows who his true friends are.... someone once said "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".. god bless Mike!
Anonymous said...
its a funny thing that just weeks ago everyone thought this and that about Mike Veon.. NOW tha the trial looks like its taking a turn for the good of Mike he all of a sudden has friends again... where was everyone last month? last year? even two years ago? you sure werent around then.. Mike knows who his true friends are.... someone once said "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".. god bless Mike!
March 8, 2010 6:17 PM
MEA CULPA AND DITTO!
Ok could someone PLEASE tell me why he have heard ANYTHING about Todd Eachus or Mr.Speaker McCall? Everyone knows Todd is shady. Everyone knows he had staffers doing the same things that veon is on trial for right now. And yet no talk of him and what about the John Paul Jones article a few weeks ago in the news papers are people to forget that was written? I mean JPJ addmits his wrong doing during his time working for Todd and directed by Todd and still no talk of Todd. Though with really no talk of Todd Todd is very worried or he wouldnt be spending 10's of thousands of $$$ TAX PAYERS money on his little legal defense team.. But why does he need this team? Why Todd are you having your "legal team" interview YOUR staff..? Why is that Todd? Whats your little secrets Todd...
Anonymous said...Ok could someone PLEASE tell me why he have heard ANYTHING about Todd Eachus or Mr.Speaker McCall? Everyone knows Todd is shady. Everyone knows he had staffers doing the same things that veon is on trial for right now. And yet no talk of him and what about the John Paul Jones article a few weeks ago in the news papers are people to forget that was written? I mean JPJ addmits his wrong doing during his time working for Todd and directed by Todd and still no talk of Todd. Though with really no talk of Todd Todd is very worried or he wouldnt be spending 10's of thousands of $$$ TAX PAYERS money on his little legal defense team.. But why does he need this team? Why Todd are you having your "legal team" interview YOUR staff..? Why is that Todd? Whats your little secrets Todd...
March 8, 2010 10:05 PM....
First:
The Dilworth Paxson Law Firm with Attorney Casey being retained by Todd Eachus, after Senator Fumo left Dilworth Paxson, is now in charge of the House of Representatives, and are protecting Eachus.
Once Mike Veon is acquitted, doubtful the OAG can bring any more cases anyway.
Second:
Did not read the Trial Transcripts about how Reed Smith Law Firm provided the Nader Petitions to knock Nader from the ballot.
Frank Dermody wife works for reed Smith, so once again the big law firms are back in control of the House.
Veon lost his election, DeWeese is up on charges, and McCall has resigned, but it is just a coincidence!
After reading what is being revealed at Trial.
The AG office now has heartaches by the numbers and troubles by the score.
Too many lies, too much deception, and it is better for Corbett, Corbett's Campaign Staff, and Corbett's Prosecutors to lose the cases, than lose their souls.
If I were Conspiracy Theorists, I would think someone at the OAG actually as sabotaged the Commonwealths AG Cases to clear their conscience, someone in the OAG actually has higher belief in justice over campaigns!
What I am amazed at is the Defense Team has yet, to post the AG Presentments and how they have been disproven at Trial.
They should outline line by line, how the Defense Team, showed the AG Prosecutors charges were created by abusive Prosecutors bent on bringing any charges that would enraged the people.
Now that the entire truth is coming out, all of sudden, the Media is not covering the trial like did when the Prosecutors conducted the charges.
The Jurors have to be seeing through the AG office weak cases, non-charges, and misinterpretation of law breaking that did not occur!
Anonymous said...Surra says OAG agents tried to intimidate him and called him a f-ing liar. Judge says to move to another line of questioning. Now we know where he stands. March 8, 2010 12:46 PM.....
It has been sworn under oath, that many of the AG Prosecutors constantly used the F-WORD and JESUS CHRIST during Grand Jury Investigating, Interviewing, and Hearings.
Now how are all those Christian Evangelicals in the Republican T going to react when they learn of these foul mouth prosecutors on AG Corbett's Staff when Corbett ask them for their vote?
Peg Luksik and Pat Toomey, would be shocked at such behavior and Sam Rohrer would be too, along with the Christian Coalition!
After all, Tom Corbett is not really a Reagan conservative, but always has been a Rockefeller Republican just like Tom Ridge!
What is happening is we are witnesses to seeing the difference between a grand Jury Presentments, controlled, manipulated, and placed forty in the media to try to foster a prejudice against the accused as written, of, by, and for AG Corbett's Prosecutors.
AG Corbett's Grand Juries have been badly misinformed and intentionally misused to bring charges against persons who are believed to have committed crimes while in the legislature.
When AG Corbett's Grand Jury brought criminal charges, the charges were contained in a charging Presentment.
If prosecutors want a grand jury to charge someone, the prosecutor’s reserves time with the grand jury and then present evidence to them, anyway they wanted, regardless of counter evidence that shows them innocent.
In presenting the evidence, the prosecutor is trying to persuade the grand jurors that the people that the Attorney General wants to charge have committed certain crimes.
The evidence can be almost anything--testimony from witnesses, immunity witnesses, guilty pleaders, police officers or state agents, documents, video recordings, tape recordings, the results of scientific tests (like DNA tests), photographs, etc.
In this case, it is clear now that AG Prosecutors mostly relied on the Testimony of convicted liars on the previous staffs of lawmakers some found guilty, others given immunity to avoid being charged, both in full control of the prosecutors, not the full truth.
The grand jurors listen to the evidence and decided probable cause to believe the person; the prosecutor wanted to charge has committed the crimes the prosecutor claims.
However, after the Presentments are given out to the public, they were challenged at this trial and subject to Cross-examination by the Defense Attorneys for flaws within the Grand Jury Presentments.
Anyone can tell you one thing, and that is Veon's Defense Lawyers as well as the Defendants Lawyers are bound, just as all Lawyers are bound, not to try the case in the press.
Great Lawyers try the case before a jury. In addition, these jurors in Dauphin County, where the case is being tried, you do not want them to make their minds up ahead of time.
What Veon's Defense Team has proven to date, is that AG Corbett's Office did a very poor job, in presenting all the evidence to the Grand Juries.
However, the Prosecutors never cared, because it was always about Corbett's Campaign Staffers doing what is best for Corbett’s Campaign, not justice.
Anonymous March 8, 2010 6:17 PM
said...where was everyone last month? last year? even two years ago? you sure werent around then... Mike knows who his true friends are.... someone once said "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".. god bless Mike!
I agree with you, but you now know that the AG Office Presentments were so overwhelming it took time to explain them to the Public.
CasabalancaPA was a great place to do it, and over time, won over people, such as myself.
It is taking time for the full truth to come out, and many who had doubts, now see the light, and even Jesus had to win over converts, after being convicted, and crucified. Now Mike will be first to tell you, he does not walk on water, and he is defending himself, against lies.
Mike Veon, Anna Marie, Steve and Brett, stood TALL, WALK TALL, and are TALL, but only a few supported them in public, but many now know the full truth, and you have to credit them, the lies told by Corbett for his Campaign were meant to destroy Veon & Company and hard to overcome.
Nevertheless, Mike is doing it, one by one, and we want it no other way, So Little Done, So Much To Do!
THE CASE for Mike Veon Conviction alarmism is melting faster than those mythical disappearing Emails, Data Disc, and Soop Charts, but the AG Office isn’t backing down.
The OAG’s Frank Fina keeps cranking up the doomsday conviction trial as Corbett’s sounds off on the campaign trail.
Pennsylvanians Taxpayers, Corbett warned, face an unimaginable calamity requiring large-scale, preventive measures to reform the legislature as we know it.
Corbett’s has invested heavily in relying on this trial to gain him an election to profit handsomely from such legislation politically.
On the other hand, it is quite clear that the Republican economic and agricultural contributors will enormously be beneficial to myriads of men, women, and children.
Corbett brushes aside as unimportant the recently exposed blunders at the trial that is looking more like a Ramaley Acquittal.
Corbett seems equally untroubled by his own scandal involving the retention of Bonusgate Employees like Mike Long on his Campaign Staff.
Undaunted, Corbett now claims that the legislature now under control of the democrats must be reformed, but never called for such reform when Republicans ran both the House and Senate.
The same House and Senate that gave them 5 pay increases under the Republican control.
Corbett hyperbole is less a matter of political hypocrisy now than his faith. In almost messianic terms, Corbett sharp restrain on lawmakers and Corbett’s ability to use the rule of law as an instrument of human redemption.
But while Corbett prays for redemption, the pews in the Church of Christian Catastrophe are gradually emptying, upon learning Corbett’s Moderate republican past.
The public’s skeptical common sense, as it is turning out, to start to become pretty robust.
Once the public learns how much Corbett has wasted Tax dollars and never demanded the bonuses be returned, the more the true truth is coming out, that these trials were for Corbett’s Campaign not the protection of Commonwealth Tax Coffers, since it was the Republicans that were behind the pay raises and bonuses far more than any democrats were.
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