Read the Early Returns story here:

The congressional campaign manager for Mary Beth Buchanan — a man named Kurt Acker who was formerly a staffer for state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless — resigned today in the wake of the fraud charges filed against his former boss.

Orie and her sister Janine were charged Wednesday with theft and criminal conspiracy after a grand jury found they misused government staff to run the state Supreme Court campaign last year of another sister, Joan Orie Melvin. In the grand jury’s presentment, a former intern to the senator quoted Acker as saying “if the Attorney General’s Office knew what was occurring in [Sen.] Orie’s office, that ‘they all would be in handcuffs.’”

Acker submitted his resignation to Buchanan — the former U.S. Attorney who is running for the Republican nomination to run against U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless — just after noon today. “Due to circumstances beyond my control, I believe I have become a distraction from your message and I would not want to impede your march to becoming our next congresswoman,” he wrote.

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