If you don't know why this is possibly the most ironic passage ever written by a Capitol correspondent in the history of Pennsylvania politics, perhaps you never read this one:
"We, too, are concerned at the length of time this process [Corbett's investigation of the legislature] is taking. It is fully more than two years since Corbett's office began working on the issue ...If this goes much further Corbett risks being accused of using it to launch what many expect will be a gubernatorial bid in 2010." -- Patriot-News editorial, 7/12/09
The very investigation that Kane will be accused of politicizing if she releases findings too close to the election was precipitated by Corbett's concern that he would be accused of politicizing an investigation if he released findings too close to an election.
We have demonstrated repeatedly - and the lead investigator on the case has admitted - that Corbett blew off the Sandusky complaint in 2009 because he was obsessed with nailing down indictments of House Republican "Speaker Emeritus" John Perzel and House Democratic Craven Coward Bill DeWeese before the start of an election year.
The deeper irony is that the investigation already had been politicized to an unprecedented degree, without a shred of pushback from either the press or the voters.
It's still stunning that Corbett's September 2008 announcement of a "moratorium" on additional charges in the legislative investigation wasn't met with incredulous howls of mockery.
In essence, what Corbett had announced was that weeks before Election Day, he was happy to stage a dog-and-pony show of a hearing accusing Democrats (of 272 counts which resulted in acquittals or were dropped), but he didn't want to influence that same election by charging any Republicans with wrongdoing. Bumsted still thinks it is a dandy policy to suppress negative information about GOP candidates until after Election Day, suggesting "Here's a novel idea: Kane could publicly announce the report [on the Sandusky case] won't be released until Nov. 5 regardless of when it's completed."
What made Corbett's 2008 "moratorium" completely ludicrous - as any reporter who had bothered to read the presentment could've told us - was that Corbett was nowhere near prepared to indict a Republican by Election Day 2008. When he announced his "moratorium," Corbett had not even begun to investigate House Republicans in earnest. It was a month after that announcement that he convened hearings to force House Republicans to comply with subpoenas that the caucus had ignored, with impunity, for a full year.
So: in 2008, Corbett announced that he didn't want to politicize an investigation that he'd already irredeemably politicized by announcing charges in an investigation that he hadn't even begun. Six years later, it's Kane, who stands a chance of exposing how Corbett's bungled political maneuvering delayed capture of child rapist for nearly three years, who's accused of playing politics.
Seems to me AG Kane has to ignore politics and fulfill her elected responsibilities, regardless of repercussions. She won an election because voters wanted an Attorney General to sort out the truth and lead the Commonwealth into a new period of honesty and values. Thirty-two years of Republican control of the AG's Office led to corruption, abuse and a bullying attitude.
ReplyDeleteMany of us are counting on Kane to complete the investigation of Corbett and report the results, period. If she fully explains the report, she will be praised. Communication with the public is the key.
In June 2013 AG Kane's Office was not interested in hearing further details regarding injustices that were fraudulantly and criminally imposed on Pa citizens during the Sandusky coverup. Even if new evidence became available through recent investigations - the statute of limitations had long run out for those who were witnesses, and not direct victims of the sexual abuse. Kane's office said there was no further need to collect additional information (even though this implicated a well known child protection agency, among others), as "Jerry Sandusky IS ALREADY IN JAIL AND THE CASE IS CLOSED."
ReplyDeleteTo January 22 at 1:12 am
ReplyDeleteTrue, the case is closed, however the investigation is suspect and open to the statute of limitations.
Elected AG's in the US have been convicted for bastardizing the law. Political power trumps the truth.
Let's hope that the truth comes out. The Grand Jury is a pawn of the AG. Why else would TSM be excused from the prosecution. Why would an AG accept campaign donations from TSM board members? Why would a Governor publically approve a grant to TSM, only to rescind it later. Why would government agencies be passed over by the Grand Jury?
The benefit of these actions falls to the elected AG and the loss confidence erodes the spirit of PA.
There's always skepticism about the politics of investigations. Were investigations brought, avoided, slow-walked or aggressive based on who is involved or potential media coverage? It's hard to evaluate. In high profile cases involving politicians, celebrities, rich and powerful, or sensationalized headlines it's always a question. With Kane it appears many people are becoming disillusioned by lack of speed or aggressiveness of investigations.
ReplyDeletePA should end the Grand Jury system. The Attorney General controls the investigation, the witnesses, the questions, the lies and then writes the presentment. The jurors are intimidated for fear of falling under the wrath that they witness on grand jury days. The Grand Jury has no independence and no official attorney assigned to it to provide guidance and protection from the AG.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure I'd take the word of Randy Feathers about why Corbett assigned the Sandusky investigation to narcos. For Feathers to say Sassano was qualified to do the investigation is also laughable, considering that the mother of Victim 6 gave him the names of five of the victims - three of whom had criminal records in the system - and it took Sassano and police between 4 and 6 months to track them down. The myth of one cop being assigned is just that. Originally it was two troopers - Cavanaugh and Akers. Then it went to Lear. Then it went to Corbett, who assigned Rossman, then Sassano. Yet, the story is no one was available because of BonusGate. You people need to stop reading newspaper accounts based on unreliable sources (Feathers) and look at the facts.
ReplyDeleteEthics:
ReplyDeleteDoes PA really want four more years of Tom Corbett leading our state? Corbett, former Attorney General and current Governor, violated numerous standards of ethical conduct. Corbett communicated with and received campaign donations from board members and staff associated with the second mile while "investigating" TSM and Sandusky. Corbett communicated with and received campaign donations from Brian Preski and Preski's fundraiser in Philly while "investigating" the Republican caucus in Computergate. Corbett communicated with and participated in public events with Republican House members while "investigating" the Republican caucus in Computergate. Notice a pattern of "dialing for dollars?"
Tom Corbett just keeps digging his hole deeper. A lack of respect for Pennsylvania’s teachers seems to be a staple of the Corbett administration.
ReplyDeleteTom Corbett should lead the Pennsylvania Republican Party to return all contributions from former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell who was indicted yesterday for alleged corruption.
According to press reports, McDonnell has held at least three fundraisers for Corbett including an event that raised an estimated $430,000 for Corbett.
McDonnell also headlined the Pennsylvania Republican Party’s 2013 Lincoln Day Fundraising Dinner.
If Corbett and his Republican Party do not refund all contributions from McDonnell, they are condoning corruption - it’s as simple as that.
Alert to all PA citizens!!!
ReplyDeleteHow did Corbett win this one? Thomas Kimmett, the whistleblower in the Attorney General's Office, lost in Federal Court for reporting alleged long running illegal activity in OAG
that he was hired to correct.
The OAG under Corbett was run like a military organization and Kimmett did not follow the chain of command. Looks like the Federal whistleblower law was just destroyed. How can a whistleblower
receive protection when he must assume the system is corrupt and needs to tell his findings to someone! This is the case where Corbett, in deposition, claimed he did not know the answere to numerous questions about his own operation. Sounds like his chain of command did its job, it protected Corbett from knowing what was going on. Great system for a politician. "I know nothing."
Kimmett's lawyers need to take the case to the US Supreme Court.
ReplyDeleteCorbett's core demographic remains strong but is a much smaller minority now, trouble is you cant win with just bible thumping, gun toting, angry white old men and clueless Fox News/Rush Windbag voters.
ReplyDeleteCorbett's to-do list of alienating students, teachers, PSU fans, women, blacks, latinos, gays, unions, working people, car owners (biggest gas tax ever), the elderly and government workers, to name a few, is a majority he cannot acquire now.
Where are all those JOBS JOBS JOBS you campaigned on, and McCord is the right man to remove Corbett from office
The fact that Corbett supports outsourcing of American and Pennsylvania jobs for the rich investors and English companies instead of the middle class and poor is why we need someone else as Governor.
ReplyDeleteI can not believe people are giving Corbett cash. My cat could beat him. Even his own party in the House and Senate can't stand him and his self righteous obtuseness.
The man had GOP control of both houses and accomplished absolutely nothing except protecting the big shale corporations, assisting a London Lottery junta and enriching the lawyers and lobbyists he loves to use to sue people he hates, just like he misused the AG Office to become elected.
Like the Posters said above Kimmett needs to take his case to the supreme Court or Ag Kane should investigate what happen under Corbett and bring charges on past AG Officials.
Yet another Corbett insult to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteIt was reported today in the Philly Inquirer by Angela Couloumbis and Tom Fitzgerald that Corbett's gubernatorial campaign hired John P McConnell, George W Bush's speech writer, to finalize
next week's budget address.
Why did the campaign hire McConnell? Could this be a political speech prepared for delivery in the chamber of the state House of Representatives?
Is Corbett and his taxpayer paid staff unable to deliver a message without hiring a political operative?
As Attorney General, Corbett and Frank Fina's team of prosecutors sent legislators and staff to jail for allegedly mixing politics and official duties. How do we know that the taxpayers did not pay for part of this? The article states that state employees sent talking points to McConnell. So taxpayer paid state employees were used to reduce the cost of the political speech writers invoice. Thus, the taxpayers of PA saved the Corbett gubernatorial campaign money.
The dual involvement was designed to use political expertise to influence voters concerned about the proposed state budget. You can not send people to jail and then thumb your nose at them.
Corbett, or his voice, needs to axplain this to the taxpayers of PA.
Next Tuesday Corbett will deliver the annual budget address from the "Halls of the House." The question is: Who is doing the speaking?
"Is it live or is it Memorex?"
I'm glad you took on Bumstead and his ridiculous post. He has continues to be the unofficial campaign spokesman for Tommy C. First trying to recreate history regarding Corbett's complete avoidance of any kind of investigation on the Senate R's, and now pushing Kane's timetable on this investigation.
ReplyDeleteI went back through the old "bonusgate" articles and discovered that the press excoriated Sean Ramaley's lawyer when he suggested Corbett should have waited to bring charges until after the election so the people of that senate district could have made a fair decision. Now the press is all for the wait-until-the-election-is-over approach. What a reversal now that it's a Republican being investigated! Bumstead, your hypocrisy knows no bounds!!
"...In late 2008, the mother of a high school freshman called the local high school, where Sandusky was serving as a volunteer coach, to say that Sandusky had performed oral sex on her son more than 20 times and had forced the boy to perform oral sex on him. The ...district attorney ...had a conflict...So the case was transferred, in March 2009, to Corbett's office. .... Corbett assigned just one investigator to the Sandusky case, say lawyers with knowledge of the arrangement, although Corbett has denied this through his spokesman. At the time, he had 14 investigators looking into the activities of Pennsylvania House Speaker Bill DeWeese, a Democrat ...
ReplyDelete...As PA's attorney general, Corbett investigated Sandusky for nearly two years but failed to make an arrest. But then, as governor, he blamed the university's leaders for not doing more. One was Paterno, who some board members believed wielded too much power. The other was university president Graham B. Spanier... who had become a vocal opponent of the governor's efforts to slash higher education funding.
"Throughout this whole process, I felt he had some ulterior motive," a trustee says of Corbett. "Most trustees felt uncomfortable with his role. It was odd for him to be there and participate the way he did. Very odd." ...Corbett had tried to get Paterno, a staunch Republican, to endorse him, but Paterno declined; the coach had a policy against endorsing gubernatorial candidates because the election winner, as Pennsylvania governor, would get a seat on Penn State's board of trustees....Penn State President Spanier began hearing from board members during the 2010 football season that Corbett was furious with him for appearing to openly favor his opponent.
One senior member of the Penn State faculty recalls seeing Corbett, surrounded by his security detail and friends, at the American Ale House & Grill in State College on Thursday evening, Nov. 10, the night before the regularly scheduled board meeting. "He was just effusive," the faculty member says. "It was like a victory celebration. I remember thinking at the time that it just seemed a strange thing … a kind of gratuitous political piling on." ...Bob Capretto ...asked Corbett, "Who told the board to fire Joe and fire Spanier?" "And the governor said, 'I told them to do it,'" Capretto says. "He was proud of it.'"
Media has been "co-opted" by the powerful statewide syndicate run by LZ - he has co-opted the OAG, the Judges, all manner of businesses and charities who have benefited from their relationship with the PA Government including members of the media, etc....
ReplyDeleteThis is how they "control" people - they control people's futures and once they have you (especially if they have some goods on you due to a professional trying to ingratiate themselves with the cabal to advance their career).
I have a feeling that Frank Fina is running so scared because he is about to go from "Good Foot Soldier" to "Fall Guy"....
Frank Fina is probably most scared of the "radio silence" treatment he is getting from his former Master's when he keeps pleading for a life-line than he is at Kane's clear overtures that she is on the march and heading his direction.