Thursday, August 8, 2013

WHY CORBETT'S HELICOPTER USE MATTERS

There is some debate over whether or not Governor Tom Corbett's use of a state helicopter to go hang out with friends in an "official" capacity at Pocono Raceway should be regarded as a big deal (Inquirer 8/8/13).

Well, it is.  Why?

Because Tom Corbett arrested Mike Veon for hanging out with other legislators in his office over dinner after a regular basketball game.  (Trib 12/14/08).  Keep in mind that Corbett brought these charges, used valuable investigative resources to prove them, then pushed hard to convict Veon all while he allowed Jerry Sandusky, a now convicted child molester, to walk the streets freely.

A jury eventually found Veon not guilty on all these counts related to the "basketball dinners" after finding star prosecution witness, Karen Steiner Blanar, completely lacking credibility.  Besides the fact that despite Corbett's best efforts, eating dinner paid for and accurately reported on financial accounting forms...after a basketball game with other legislators...in State Capitol offices...discussing legislative business....is not illegal.  And, for the sake of argument, if it was against the law, then Corbett failed to arrest a tremendous number of other legislators for doing the exact same thing.  In fact, following the charges being filed, the House Comptroller released a memo that clearly stated members are not breaking the law by using their contingency accounts in the Capitol in the exact same manner as Veon.  You can read that memo here.

So, it matters.  Corbett made arrests, wasted valuable resources trying to prove the charges even though he knew before the rest of us what could be lurking (quite literally) around unexamined in the guise of Sandusky.

Corbett has always wanted it both ways as a prosecutor and a politician.  Giving him any more of a free pass needs to end.

7 comments:

  1. Signor,
    Here is one issue even better. #1. Corbett arrested legislators and staff at the same time he was ordering OAG security officers to drive him in his state vehicle to campaign fundraiser events. His cost was IRS mileage only. The taxpayers paid the overtime for the drivers.

    #2. Corbett used his campaign phone to call his staff in the Executive Office of the Attorney General. Use of the campaign phone for non-campaign use is illegal.

    #3. There are more issues.

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  2. Corbett is now in a political vice of his own making. You can bet he will break the law to win re-election and then will be caught.

    Corbett is now the Republicans worse nightmare and instead of letting go and telling him to resign or retire, they will go down with him.

    Especially, when the Moulton on the Sandusky Investigations delays will be quite damaging all of next year.

    In a way, it is as an invisible hand came upon the Commonwealth and set up a series of events that brought evil upon those doing it, karma can be a bitch.

    Even Corbett Personal Family has been touched by his corruption.

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  3. 2010 Governor's Election Fall Out:

    In October 2010, then GOP gubernatorial candidate Corbett saw Spanier socializing with his Democrat opponent, Dan Oronato in the President's suite at a home football game.

    Corbett was infuriated and vowed that he would fire Spanier if elected governor. Corbett would later defeat Oronato and become governor.

    After his election, it's likely that Corbett set the wheels into motion to remove Spanier.

    Although there is "folklore" about an anonymous e-mail tip leading the investigators to MIke McQueary, this e-mail has never been admitted as evidence in a court case nor has its contents ever been revealed.

    It is more likely that the OAG had learned about the McQueary incident much earlier and sat on the information -- much like they did with the information about 1998 PSU shower incident.

    Breaking it down, the investigation went for 17 months stuck on six counts and one victim. In November 2010 five counts were added bringing the total to 11 and the total stayed there until the middle of April 2011 (or for 4 months). From mid-April to mid-August (five months) the state added 29 counts -- without any new investigative leads uncovered. The police and investigators were simply acting on information they had known about since December 2010.

    LINK TO THINK
    http://notpsu.blogspot.com/2013/08/were-politics-deciding-factor-in.html

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  4. We need answers:
    What ever happened to the whistle-blower case inside the Office of the Attorney General under Corbett? Did the state employees settle the Federal lawsuit or did they disappear?

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  5. Corruption is the abuse of power by a public official for private gain or any organized, interdependent system in which part of the system is either not performing duties it was originally intended to, or performing them in an improper way, to the detriment of the system's original purpose. The abuse of public offices for private gain is paradigmatic of corruption.

    Corrupt judicial systems not only violate the basic right to equality before the law but deny procedural rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

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  6. There is a Facebook post from someone/group known as
    "SMSS-FREEHdeom Fighters";

    The post discusses the failings of the Sandusky investigation by Corbett's AG Office including Frank Fina Corruption:

    1. Sandusky should have been arrested in 2009, but it was held up by Fina.

    2. DOJ and NCEMC procedures were not follows proving political concerns not justice for children.

    3. Investigators failed to execute routine procedures as they broke laws on going after legislators.

    4. Spanier-Corbet budget battle appears to be critical factor in prosecuting Sandusky, as Corbett was intent on getting anybody that could stop his election.


    So on and so forth.

    Not sure if anyone follows this Facebook poster, May be another "Sekrah Insider getting you the information before anybody else", type of poster!

    In any event, Corbett's Re-Election will be in serious trouble about the this time next year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. And let's not forget how Corbett used the office of AG for political gain, while prosecuting others for doing the say.

    And then there are Sandusky's victims that Corbett turned his back on for more than two years as AG.

    What a corrupt man I helped elect to the governor's office, and I look forward to joining thousands of my fellow Republicans as we vote against him in the next election.

    New faces won't cover up the disgusting odor coming from the governor's office occupied by Corbett

    ReplyDelete