Dare to criticize Tom Corbett, and you can expect an intimidating visit from law enforcement agents.
According to an astounding item by Chris Brennan in today's Philadelphia Daily News: Corbett was so incensed by a Feb. 2 article in the Bucks County Courier Times, in which Rep. John Galloway accused him of "playing politics," that he sent agents to Galloway's office the day the story appeared.
Corbett mouthpiece Kevin Harley would not confirm that Corbett himself dispatched the agents, but Corbett had confronted Galloway in the Capitol about the article shortly before the visit.
Hilariously, Harley defended the intimidation tactics, saying Corbett's office takes it seriously when someone suggests he is missing evidence of corruption.
That interview must have taken place before the Orie scandal revealed that Corbett isn't just missing evidence of corruption, but deliberately ignoring it.
Even as the agents were making their way to Galloway's office, a county grand jury in Pittsburgh was investigating evidence of corruption against Sen. Jane Orie - evidence that Corbett not only refused to investigate when it was brought to his attention, but which his own "investigation" of the Senate Republicans should have uncovered months earlier.
By the time Corbett's goons visited Galloway, three months had passed since Corbett gave the brush-off to the Orie intern who tried to report her suspicions.
Galloway joins former candidate for Attorney General John Morganelli and conservative political consultant Jeff Coleman in having been attacked by Corbett's team for statements that turned out to be all too true.
Attorney Matt Haverstick, who represents dozens of immunized informants to Corbett's grand juries, wigged out in December when Coleman suggested on PCN that Senate Republicans were misusing state resources for campaign activity. Just a little over three months later, Senate Republican Orie was charged with misusing state resources for campaign activity.
House Republican Leader Sam Smith in December 2008 threatened to sue Morganelli over his suggestions that Corbett's long delay in initiating an investigation against House Republicans might result in destruction of evidence. Eleven months later, House Republicans were indicted on charges of destruction of evidence.
We've heard some breathtaking tales of abuse of office out of the Office of Attorney General over the last three years, but this takes the cake. Sending agents of the state to intimidate critics?
25 comments:
"It's a pattern of arrogance," Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo said in an interview during the trial."
What About The Prosecutors Pattern Of Arrogance And Miconduct Including Your Own Constanzo?"
"Prosecutorial Misconduct!"
"There is no crueler tyranny than that which is exercised under cover of law, and with the colors of justice ..." - U.S. v. Jannotti, 673 F.2d 578, 614 (3d Cir. 1982)
Do To Corbeet and Cowards As Prosecutor, Constanzo, Blessington, Krastek Reeder, and Fina.
The Pennsylvania Legislature should require that prosecutors’ offices adopt and enforce clearly defined official policies and procedures.
The Pennsylvania Legislature should require open-file discovery in criminal cases.
The Pennsylvania Legislature should require that prosecutors document all agreements with witnesses and jailhouse informants concerning conferment of benefits of any kind.
The Pennsylvania Legislature should require trial and appellate judges to report all cases of prosecutorial misconduct, including cases where the misconduct is ruled to be harmless error.
The Pennsylvania Legislature should establish a prosecutor review board with the power to investigate allegations of misconduct and impose sanctions.
The Pennsylvania Legislature should require that prosecutors participate in training and continuing education programs.
Once Joan Orie goes through this process she will become the biggest advocate for Reforms of the State Attorney General Prosecutorial Powers!
Federal prosecutorial misconduct has turned two recent high profile cases -- one involving allegations of murder, the other involving allegations of a terrorist conspiracy -- upside down.
Prosecutorial Misconduct Website - To Expose Prosecutorial Corruption and Related Loss of Constitutional Rights and Explain What Victims Can Do to Fight Back and Change the System:
http://www.lawmall.com/abuse/
"It's a pattern of arrogance," Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo said in an interview during the trial."
The only Pattern Of Arrogance is the record of Tom Corbett's Attorney General Office as we can see below by not going after his Republican Senator Friends and letting thugs like Constanzo get away with Prosecutorial Misconduct:
Harley defended the intimidation tactics, saying Corbett's office takes it seriously when someone suggests he is missing evidence of corruption.
Good, time to raid Kim Ward Office regarding her alleged operations on behalf of George W. Bush as sated in the Jane Clara Orie Grand Jury Findings Page 30.
This blog just gave the AG Office information on where to look into corruption within a Grand Jury Findings just like the Patriot News, when can we expect a Grand Jury on Republican Kim Ward?
"When Mr. Morganelli makes these accusations, he's stepping pretty close to the line of slander," said House Republican Leader Sam Smith, R-Punxsutawney.
Smith said he is considering suing Morganelli after the Nov. 4 election. Morganelli, the Northampton County district attorney, is trying to unseat Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett.
Huh...Slinky Sammy, one thing odd about suing for Defamation...expressing the Truth is an Absolute Defense.
Slinky Sammy, have you caught that Ground Hog Disease that cannot see crimes shadows within the Republican House, Republican Senate, Republican Supreme Court and Republican Office of the Attorney General?
Does this mean 6 years of more Democratic Indictments and 6 less months of Corbett being elected Governor and appointing another Republican Attorney General.
Alternatively, do we need a Special Prosecutor?
Therefore, you can see the shadow of crimes within the RHC, the ones you said Perzel never did, and then apologized.
I think you are right now; Perzel is a victim, like Orie, sound familiar, it should it comes from OAG abuses you approved of on the Democrats.
REST IN PEACE, A GREAT LAWMAKER, PUBLIC SERVANT, AND CITIZEN!
Former state Rep. Richard Olasz dies
Friday, April 09, 2010
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Richard D. Olasz of West Mifflin, who served a total of 35 years as an elected Democratic official on borough council, in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and on Allegheny County Council, died late last night at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Oakland.
Mr. Olasz, 79, had fallen on Wednesday and injured his head.
Mr. Olasz served on West Mifflin Council from 1974 to 1980. Then he was elected to nine terms in the 39th District of the state House, serving from 1980 to 1998. He was elected to Allegheny Council Council, serving from 2000 to 2001. He has served on West Mifflin Council from 2002 to the present.
The Salvolskis-Wasik-Glenn Funeral Home in Munhall is handling arrangements, which are not complete yet.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10099/1049089-100.stm#ixzz0kcJ3cXfU
Lots more to the Galloway story he was very intimidated and begged the press not to run the story out of his own fear the partisan OAG would go after him next. Follow-up from press is needed and questions asked more deeply.
Anonymous said...Lots more to the Galloway story he was very intimidated and begged the press not to run the story out of his own fear the partisan OAG would go after him next. Follow-up from press is needed and questions asked more deeply. April 9, 2010 11:51 AM
It looks like our leaders seek to pit us against one another, and torment us relentlessly.
Not everyone will tolerate it forever.
Civil disobedience will come if injustice continues, and I for do not want to see it, but who will stop it?
From The Associated Press:
"PITTSTON, Pa. (AP) — A federal probe into public corruption in Northeastern Pennsylvania that has already snared two county judges, school officials and other appointed and elected officials may now be focusing on a long-time state senator.
The FBI searched the home of state Sen. Raphael Musto in Pittston Township, Luzerne County, yesterday. The senator, who represents parts of Carbon, Monroe and Luzerne counties, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and an FBI spokesman declined to reveal what investigators hoped to find in Musto’s home.
Musto, 81, D-14th District, announced in January he would not seek re-election.
Since January 2009, federal authorities have arrested nearly 30 people from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties as a result of the investigation into bribes, kickbacks and other public corruption.
Musto was first elected to the state House in 1971 to fill his late father’s unexpired term. He also served a term in Congress before running successfully for state Senate in 1982."
Mutual Assured Destruction
It is interesting that a mere refreshingly naive intern, too inexperienced to recognize business as usual, in nature if not degree, approached Pennsylania Attorney General Tom Corbett, who is using his office, part literally, part figuratively to campaign for a candidate for governor started this whole mess for the Republicans.
Which gubernatorial candidate? The one named Tom Corbett. Again, good point.
Tom Corbett punted on investigating GOP Jane, it looks like the prospect of aggravating supporters of the state's third-ranking Senate Republican in the months before a Republican primary.
Corbet calculated it is the political equivalent of third-and-thirty-seven, an action inconsistent with Corbett's "REFORM" platform but conducive to such a clean-up the capitol campaign.
Which campaign? The Corbett campaign. Another good point.
That punt was fielded by Stephen A. Zappala Jr., the Zappala evil empire's (as John Orie called it), legal enforcer county district attorney, whose office has become a support center for candidates, business interests (disclosed, undisclosed, etc.), and political vendettas, all of which involve people named Zappala, people associated with List-Makers people named Zappala, or people who have crossed a Zappala.
Yet again, a good point.
District Attorney Zappala concluded that he could overlook Senator Orie's legitimate, public criticism of his entire family father, sister and brother, and her opposition to Zappala family business interests, and prosecute Senator Orie impartially, because . . . well, that part has not been explained.
Wow! Now that's a good point.
However, that punt was not fielded by the local United States Attorney's office, which has been used to pursue certain elected officials with vigor but not, in general, convictions.
Which elected officials?
Democratic elected officials. Good points must be in season.
The feuding factions of Republicans and Democrats, Ories and Zappalas, the currently ins and the currently outs have until now been fighting primarily over dollars and elected offices, the political equivalent of beanbags.
With this weeks' arraignment of Senator Orie, however, Stephen Zappala has used the first bomb, turning the dispute into a war.
Because both sides live in a conflicted and profitable politics-and-business world whose atmosphere consists primarily of weapons-grade materials, this war could escalate quickly and powerfully.
Until those developments occur, a question:
Is there no good, independent lawyer in western Pennsylvania able and willing to become an Attorney General, District Attorney or United States Attorney?
Orie indictment could raise questions about Corbett’s probe
Inside the case against state Senator Jane Orie, who was indicted Wednesday by the Allegheny County District Attorney, there rests a few paragraphs of interest to anyone interested in Attorney General Tom Corbett’s Bonusgate probe.
Like the Bonusgate defendants, some of whom have been convicted and await sentencing, Orie is charged with allegedly using legislative staff, equipment and offices for campaign efforts not only for herself, but also her sister, Joan Orie Melvin, the new state Supreme Court justice.
On page 28 of the presentment, there’s a summary of testimony from an Orie staffer named Joe Smith, who details his work for Orie in 2006.
Smith explained that since he was proficient with computers, he had to back up several files that were campaign-related and kept on the senate computers that were located in Orie’s district office. Smith describes these files as “fat cat” lists, “fundraising” lists and “donor” lists. In addition, Smith testified that he helped create the “O” drive on the senate system which gave limited access to date only to Orie, (staffer) Pavlot and Smith, within which were stored political files.”
Earlier on, the presentment charges that “up until late spring of 2009, some of the very campaign and political records of Orie’s were maintained on computer hard drives that were part of the state computer system; they were identified by Orie’s staffers as ‘O’ and ‘S’ drives. Testimony further reveals that in the late spring or early summer of 2009, Orie directed that these political files … be transferred to a thumb drive and the non-legislative data that was previously being maintained on the senate’s system was them removed from the drives that up until that time were on the state’ s computer system.”
In other words: If the Bonusgate probe did what the Attorney General’s office said—that is, probed all four caucuses of the state legislature—how come Senate Republican computers were allegedly still storing campaign files?~Laura Vecsey
The big question is why did Corbett Receptionists turn Jennifer Rioja away when she brought this to the Attorney General’s office?
The second question is why is the Receptionists still employed?
It makes one wonder if that the smell of manure is rising not only from newly fertilized farmers’ fields of Lancaster even though Harrisburg is up wind, unless Corbett’s office is located in a a similiar corn field.
It does make the common voter thinking, while pretending to be cleaning up Harrisburg, Corbett is creating a political and partisan stink of his own.
Many should wonder how how many Corbett petitions were circulated by Orie’s taxpayer paid staff.
After all the same pattern exisits with Republicans as much as Democrats.
The defense of Veon was not wrong when they said, seems to be everybody does it rather than I did not happen or I thought it was legal.
The Orie Family Mafia snarking is low rent and seems to validate guilt of the accused, especially since 15 employees without Immunity except 1, gave up so much information.
The presentment makes it clear that official email was used, so if Corbett was looking at that, he had to see it.
But since Corbett endorsed Orie Melvin, I bet he simply turned a blind eye. As he does to most GOP problems.
Corbett's only Pattern of Arrogance seems to be Corbett’s Staff stupidity on the Bonusgate investigation not being able to probe all four caucuses in Harrisburg.
I do not think he searched computers in the individual Senators offices or their district offices where these files were apparently stored.
That is a real cause of concern for Corbett's competence to become Governor.
Oh My God, may I suggest any Book or Movie Titles on the Jane Clara Orie Scandal be called "THE STORY OF O!"
Beaver County Times:
Beaver County man named in Orie indictment:
Republican 4th Congressional District candidate Mary Beth Buchanan’s campaign manager, a Beaver County resident, did political work on legislative time while working for indicted state Sen. Jane Orie, according to testimony in Orie’s indictment.
“Acker was more ‘controlled’ than Dott about openly discussing political work,” continues the indictment. “However, (the intern) also stated that she had heard Acker state to fellow staffers on at least one occasion that if the attorney general’s office knew what was occurring in Orie’s office, that ‘they all would be in handcuffs.’ ”
Neither Acker nor Buchanan, the former U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, returned phone messages left for them Thursday.
LINK TO THINK:
http://www.timesonline.com/bct_news/news_details/article/1373/2010/april/08/beaver-county-man-named-in-orie-indictment.html
One must wonder why Kurt Acker was not indicted, until one must recall it was Zappala that brought the evidence to Mary Beth Buchanan to go after Dr. Cyril Wecht.
Now let us see, Corbett brought in Mary Beth Buchanan into the Assistant US Attorneys job, and Zappala brought the evidence to Mary Beth Buchanan to indict Cyril Wecht, and Zappala indicted Jane Clara Orie but not Kurt Acker!
Steve Zappala refused to indict Cyril Wecht and took it to Feds?
Mary Beth Buchanan failed to convict Cyril Wecht!
Tom Corbett failed to investigate Jane Orie!
Steve Zappala failed to indict Kurt Acker that said we should be in Handcuffs?
Shouldn't Tom Corbett now indict Kurt Acker IMMEDIATELY?
Is this musical Prosecutors Chairs playing at the Public Expense or a Pattern of Arrogance?
Methinks something stinks here!
Anonymous said...Is there no good, independent lawyer in western Pennsylvania able and willing to become an Attorney General, District Attorney or United States Attorney? April 9, 2010 1:54 PM
There are plenty but none can be elected so long as Prosecutors intimidate them!
Corbett's "receptionist" shouldn't be fired. She should be applauded, hoistedon shoulders and given a raise. Perhaps she hung up the phone and said to herself, "I know my boss damn well wouldn't look into it." Kuddos to her for a job well done. I guess that means Corbett will now be looking to fire or indict the poor gal.
Props also to Scarnati and Pileggi for not throwing Clare Bear under the bus and calling her a criminal, as was done to Veon and loyal Dem staffers by their own family.
Finally -- you should know that this is all happening at the direction of the Triamvirate. I just can't decide whether it is Corbett or Zappsla Sr. who took the Colonel's place when he went tits up.
Anonymous said...
Corbett's "receptionist" shouldn't be fired. She should be applauded, hoistedon shoulders and given a raise. Perhaps she hung up the phone and said to herself, "I know my boss damn well wouldn't look into it." Kuddos to her for a job well done. I guess that means Corbett will now be looking to fire or indict the poor gal.
Props also to Scarnati and Pileggi for not throwing Clare Bear under the bus and calling her a criminal, as was done to Veon and loyal Dem staffers by their own family.
Finally -- you should know that this is all happening at the direction of the Triamvirate. I just can't decide whether it is Corbett or Zappsla Sr. who took the Colonel's place when he went tits up.
April 9, 2010 3:22 PM
I satnd corrected!
Why Joan Clara Orie will cop a plea!
The witnesses against Joan Orie are mostly staffers, interns, and only one with immunity so far, it will be hard to break them down on Cross-examination.
Lets see if this comment gets approved.
Everyone on here posting is scared, so scared they like to tell lies, make up tall tales, etc under the name anonymous. Grow up - stop hiding, and get over the fact that Tom Corbett is doing his job better than any other AG we've had - finally rooting out corruption.
I'm proud of the Allegheny County DA for doing the same.
Anonymous said...Lets see if this comment gets approved.
Everyone on here posting is scared, so scared they like to tell lies, make up tall tales, etc under the name anonymous. Grow up - stop hiding, and get over the fact that Tom Corbett is doing his job better than any other AG we've had - finally rooting out corruption.
I'm proud of the Allegheny County DA for doing the same.
April 9, 2010 7:03 PM
Only one problem with your commnet, if Tom Corbett was doing his job as well as you say, you would not need to defend him would you?
Tom Corbett is doing the exact same thing Orie did and others and refuses to defend himself on the allegations.
Much of it lacks the character the same as your post.
It has taken 3 years for Corbett to do little and you are just upset questions here are starting to get to the Public that Corbett refuses to answer.
If you are proud of that, than you have a low level for the truth.
Republicans and intimidation ----
go together like peaches and cream -
I feel bad for the receptionist. If someone called the Attorney General and just said they had a crime to report, I'd probably say contact the local authorities too.
Now I wonder why Vereb was complaining nice web site photo:
http://www.repvereb.com/ShowImage.ashx?img=/Display/SiteFiles/83/3-09-gaming-pc.jpg&size=500
as they say photos speak a 1,000 words and he lost his "pit bull" in the Senate now he is exposed.
Rumor is Vereb is close very close to OAG Corbett looking for a cabinet post if Tommy Boy gets elected Gov.....maybe Gaming Board food for thought?
Why is everyone posting under "Anonymous"?
No one has ever brought this up so I will. Tom Corbett has given back over $1 billion a year to large corporations in the form of stipulations and tax bill forgiveness.
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