In April, Attorney General Kathleen Kane implemented a “restructuring” of the criminal division.
That restructuring consisted of firing James Barker and nothing more.
Then a new response was sent out to the public. Barker was fired for failing to prevent leaks.
“Restructuring was necessary for efficiency and tighter controls amid media reports of cases allegedly before a sitting grand jury. While not known yet who is specifically responsible for those leaks, supervisory accountability falls to the head of the unit,” Kane’s office said.
Considering that Barker had testified against Kane in a hearing (which concerned whether she leaked grand jury information), the firing seemed highly suspicious.
Now, Barker is suing the Attorney General. He is seeking “reinstatement to his position, payment for lost wages, and punitive damages against Kane” according to the Tribune-Review’s Brad Bumsted.
“We will review Mr. Barker’s filing and she will respond accordingly,” Kane’s spokesman Chuck Ardo responded. “I can assure you the attorney general will defend herself vigorously.”
So the Attorney General will now have to deal with this civil suit at the same time as her criminal trial.
UPDATE: Brad Bumsted of the Tribune-Review is reporting that according to Barker’s lawsuit First Deputy Bruce Beemer opposed his firing.
Beemer allegedly even went so far as to ask Kane to fire him instead but the Attorney General ignored him and fired Barker without his knowledge.
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48 Responses
Pat – I actually agree with you. These lawsuits are BS.
So – a parking ticket issued Kane by a non-buddy of Fina’s would actually carry MORE WEIGHT.
This plaintiff is a buddy of Fina’s … just like Claude Thomas is a buddy of Fina’s. Both of these Fina buddies has sued the Attorney General. So I guess I agree that it does “fit into the larger context.”
And – let’s face it – anyone can file a lawsuit against anyone just about anytime they want to. Fired employees are often disgruntled. They very often turn to litigation to “get even.” I am going to wait until someone … anyone … proves something in Court before I pass judgment on Kane.
On the other hand – I have seen Fina’s e-mails. They are horrendous. It is abundantly clear why he has gone to such lengths to keep them under wraps.
Pat, this lawsuit fits into the larger context; a parking ticket wouldn’t.
Next thing we’ll be reading about Kathleen Kane getting a parking ticket. Because getting sued by disgruntled former employees is a pretty common (not newsworthy) thing.
Is Willie Wonka somehow involved too?
Convicted Felon Bob Asher Owner of Asher’s Candies who is The Pennsylvania RNC Member is behind this Persicution of Kane He is Hiding behind all the Little scared Rabbits who ar in Power In Montgomery County . All the Republicans in The Commonwealth of PA are Scared Little Rabbits of Convicted Felon Bob Asher who caused R Bud Dwyer To Blow His Brains out on TV
Kane can say I dont remember Idont recall to every question that isasked of her at The Grand Jury They cant Impeach her Memory or her ability to recall anything This is what The Clintons do every time they have to talk to anyone that could put them in Jail . This is The True War on Women By The Democrat and Republican Parties . Leave Kane alone she wants to Put all The Creepos in Jail Let her Loose to do her bidding .
Pat Unger, a perjury conviction in Pennsylvania means a whole lot more than it did to Clinton. It bars Kane from any public office in the state forever. But, just to be clear, are you saying that she will be acquitted of everything? Because if she pleads guilty or is found guilty by a jury, you look pretty silly defending her all this time. I just want to know now whether you’re going to spin guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt” into some sort of extended Republican conspiracy.
David – Falling back on Perjury charges is what desperate prosecutors do when they can’t prove what they set out to prove. It’s what Kenneth Starr tried to do to Bill Clinton (our future First Gentleman). Meantime – Kenneth Starr is … um … he is … … um … …
The original investigation into Kane was a joke. Just read the grand jury report. It is full of he-said, she-said nonsense. And I still haven’t seen proof that the memo critical of Fina’s mishandling of an investigation into one of Seth Williams’ buddies, was actually protected grand jury testimony. My guess is that it is not.
This case cannot get to Court soon enough. It’s there that bad eggs like Frank Fina get exposed. The reason these creeps are continuing their smear campaign is because they DO NOT WANT the case to go to Court.
The plot thickens!
Ex-Tom Corbett Staffer Complains Of Porn Culture, Gender Discrimination
The Huffington Post | By Laura Bassett
The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office paid a $15,000 settlement to a female agent who accused executives of sharing pornographic emails and making derogatory comments to women while Tom Corbett, who is now the state’s Republican governor, was in charge.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the agent, Dianne Buckwash, alleged in a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that the men in the attorney general’s office held all the power, women were rarely promoted and executives in the Criminal Law Division were known to email around photos of nude women and “adults engaged in sex acts.” Buckwash said the events occurred during the administrations of then-Attorney General Corbett, who served from 1995 to 1997 and 2005 to 2010, and Linda Kelly, who served as attorney general in 2011 and 2012.
Corbett declined to comment to the Tribune-Review and Buckwash couldn’t be reached, but Kevin Harley, Corbett’s former press secretary, said there were “many females who were promoted into leadership in law enforcement.” He suggested that Buckwash sued because she was passed over for a promotion.
Pennsyvania’s current attorney general, Democrat Kathleen Kane, signed the $15,000 settlement agreement, in which the office denied paying Buckwash less and overlooking her for promotions based on her gender.
The news of the settlement is not helpful to Corbett, who is trying to appeal to women voters in Pennsylvania ahead of a tough race in November. Corbett recently touted his proposal to change his state’s liquor laws to make it easier for women to prepare dinner.
“I think a lot of people want to be able to walk into a grocery store, particularly, a lot of the women, want to go and buy a bottle of wine for dinner, go down, buy a six-pack or two six-packs, buy dinner and go home rather than what I described as three stops in Pennsylvania,” he said.
rsklaroff
Given the way this prosecution/persecution twists “not recalling” into “perjury”, I would answer as few questions as possible.
Q: did you kill John Doe
A: no
Result: well, we think you did, so now we are going to add perjury charge to your murder charge, just to be pr*cks.
This “kanetruth” person has been spot-on prediction wise. Can’t wait until THU !!
Someone get sklaroff another cup of TEA !!
Ok kids…Thursday the game changes…pay attention
Has she resigned yet…my God this is embarassing for the Democratic party…
@ DD & Ha3:
Now that both of you have openly admitted the existence of a schism in your stances, one wonders how you will process future data that are continuing to diminish the legal posture of AG-Kane; can you honestly think she could invoke the 5th and not immediately be TOLD to resign [by everyone, perhaps, except yourselves]?
Diano, yes, pleading the Fifth is refusing to answer, and the other option is answering. Perhaps I could have worded that more clearly. And she can only plead the Fifth (which politicians really, really hate to do because of how it looks) if the question truly calls for self-incrimination. In a depo, most questions will not fall under any exception to the general rule that she must answer the question.
HaHaHa-
I don’t expect Kane to run for reelection. That ship has sailed because she won’t be able to raise money after the smear campaign against her (aided and abetted by Dems who what her job). Even if she was acquitted on all charges and her persecutors convicted (it wouldn’t happen before the Dem primary was decided).
rsklaroff-
If you knew how to read, you would have been well aware of the differences between HaHaHa and myself.
MTG-
“So, she can invoke the Fifth or she can seek a protection order based on the Fifth, but she can’t refuse to answer”
Pleading the Fifth is a refusal to answer, unless you want to grant her immunity. But, what would be the point of that, since she’s the target?
Seth Williams has been sued by “former aides,” but I don’t remember any stories written those lawsuits. In fact – every big employer gets sued by former employees. Only when it’s Kathleen Kane is it newsworthy. Strange – or not.
I am trying to remember if Craig and Angela wrote about this lawsuit, filed by a female agent at Corbett’s OAG. I wonder why Seth Williams did not mention it when he talked of Fina and Costanzo and their history with sexist/misogynistic behavior. From another newspaper:
Agent Dianne M. Buckwash complained to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that the Office of Attorney General discriminated against women. She will receive a salary of $100,001 annually, according to documents released in response to a Right to Know Law request
In the settlement agreement, the office denied discriminating against her in salary and promotions because of her gender.
“There was a culture which discouraged advancement of women who were not attorneys and the people who held power were men. … The Criminal Law Division executives were also known to share racy pictures and make derogatory comments against women,” Buckwash said in her complaint about events during the administration of Tom Corbett, who was attorney general from 1995 to 1997 and 2005 to 2010, and his successor, Linda Kelly, who served in part of 2011 and 2012. Corbett, a Shaler Republican, became governor in 2011.
“I have no comment on that,” Kevin Harley, Corbett’s former press secretary in both offices, said when asked about the “racy pictures.”
Corbett’s office spokesman Jay Pagni declined to comment. Kelly could not be reached.
sklaroff – I repeat: you are a TEA-sipping mental patient. Please stop trying to engage me in conversation. Thank you.
aaron – yeah … you sound like a shill for Fina 7 The Corbett Pervs … Sad … So sad.
@ DD & Ha3:
Well, the result of the process of my having called-out y’all for your false-comments, a schism emerged; DD should ponder emulating Ha3 [in this one respect], as he tries to backtrack by [finally] admitting AG-Kane is incompetent.
Hahaha – yeah she really sounds like a responsible leader to me. So sad.
Why have’t Craig and Angel written a story about how the DA’s Office recently confirmed that there WAS in fact a complaint by a female employee against one of the Corbett Pervs …. against Fina’s right hand man, and driver, and personal assistant …. Marc Costanzo ….
Isn’t that news worthy guys? Didn’t Seth Williams’ spokesperson say the opposite? Didn’t Williams himself say the opposite?
Where there is smoke, there is fire. Creeps like Fina and Costanzo can’t work anywhere without being despised. That’s because prosecutors are generally good people and can sniff out racist pig perverts.
LOL …. aaron still trying the same old thing the shills have been trying for the better part of a year now … just PRAYING that their smear campaign will compel AG Kane to resign …. but it didn’t work then and it won’t work now.
AG Kane’s response : “Prove it in Court or shut up;” and “Wait until you see why they targeted me for this smear campaign”
Shame on kane for slogging the people of pa through this. Resign and take the circus elsewhere.
Observer, let’s review the circumstances in which a deposition witness can refuse to answer a question: Privilege, Protection Order. So, she can invoke the Fifth or she can seek a protection order based on the Fifth, but she can’t refuse to answer. If you disagree with that, then state your basis. I’d review FRCP 30 before you do, if I were you.
MTG – you are clearly not any kind of lawyer, if you think that any deposition witness can be compelled to tell anything of substance about any subject. In the real world of litigation, it just doesn’t work that way, with any competent witness-preparation counsel on the case. Stop pretending to be a lawyer – you are just embarrassing yourself.
All this lawsuit does is cost the taxpayers money. If Barker is a competent litigator (something I am not prepared to admit), he should be able to make tons more money in the private sector – and he is required to mitigate damages by seeking high-paying employment. If he wins at trial – three years from now – on every sinle point, the most he can get in damages is $1. Whoop-di-do.
DD – this is where we differ. Though I agree that this has been a witch-hunt, Kane may be a witch that needed to be hunted. she certainly seems in-over-her-head. And she did walk right into their perjury trap. A smarter woman would have planned her revenge on Fina carefully. She got impatient and messed up. If she committed a crime, she needs to be held accountable.
But accountability is not just for AG Kane. The racist pig perv creeps also need to be held accountable. The people who helped Fina & The Corbett Pervs mis-use the criminal justice system – and the Press – for their smear campaign … they also need to be held accountable.
You have gotten a lot of things right here. But a reasonable person wouldn’t want Kane as their Attorney General. I will vote against her in 2016 (after she beats this criminal case). She will get accolades for exposing the corrupt racist pigs in law enforcement and on the Bench … but that doesn’t mean she should be AG.
rsklaroff-
I’m not planning on recanting a single posting.
I’ve made it quite clear that:
1) The entire process is corrupt, a witch hunt and an abuse of power to reverse an election
2) Even if ever single charge they claim against Kane was true, I don’t consider them the slightest bit criminal nor worthy of more than $100 fine.
3) I think the judges and prosecutors are more deserving of jail for their active participation in this political trial.
sklaroff – you are a TEA-sipping mental patient. Please stop trying to engage me in conversation. Thank you.
@ Ha3:
When you claim AG-Kane would invoke the 5th and/or “sue Craig, Angela and the INKY,” you reflect the desperation that pervades both your postings and those of DD.
You’re rapidly catching-up with DD when one considers the list of postings that will have to be recanted after she’s gone.
HaHaHa, I’m glad that we’ve gotten to the point where you immediately concede that you can’t hang with me in any sort of debate.
David, nice misdirection, but he was subpoenaed to testify in a grand jury and that’s what he did. And your response is hilarious, since that was one of Kane’s changing reasons for firing Barker, but she was the admitted leaker!
Multi Tasker General-
Did he exercise his first amendment rights by failing to track down leakers?
MTG – I repeat: you are too stupid for a substantive response from me. Get off my jock and then GET A CLUE, shill-boy.
HaHaHa, so you believe that Kane will invoke her Fifth Amendment rights? That’s her only option other than answering questions in a deposition. Please enlighten me if you see some other way for her to avoid that result. You are clearly a more experienced litigator than I (ha!).
Montco Dem, apparently you don’t understand that even at-will employees cannot be terminated in violation of their constitutional rights. If he exercised his First Amendment rights, and she retaliated, then he is entitled to relief in federal court.
PA Dem – The Clown Car is getting desperate. They think an employment suit from a disgruntled former employee is something important. It’s not. Anyone that thinks Kane has to answer a question in a civil lawsuit that may incriminate her in criminal court is a massive idiot (see MTG’s comment below).
Anyone can sue anyone … whenever they want to. For instance – I am sure Kane will sue Craig, Angela and the INKY.
It seems PA is an “at-will” employment state, except when it comes to Democratic office-holders.
Blurred – Do you really expect us to believe that this (a lawsuit by a disgruntled former employee … and a Fina friend) would be enough to have you reach that conclusion? You do know that lawsuits like this are filed every day, right? It’s just that Craig and Angela (and thus Nick) don’t report on them.
@ Blurred Conservative:
What took you so long?
I strongly supported Kane through this, I still feel she is still being dealt with for exposing the e-mails. That being said, she has done enough at this point that I think it is time she resigns, there is just too much other baggage. Some serious self inflicted issues due to her lack of fair judgment.
MTG – I am sorry, but you are too stupid for a substantive response from me. Get off my jock and then GET A CLUE.
HaHaHa, a typical response from you. Nothing of substance. Do you ever try to make points with facts or do you always stick to name-calling?
MTG – you sound stupid. I will thus ignore you.
kanesdriver … oh, kanesdriver …. where ARE you …
HaHaHa, since you clearly are not a lawyer and don’t have much in the way of common sense, let me describe why this is bad for Kane. During discovery, she will be compelled to sit down and — under oath (for as much as that is worth to a pathological liar) — answer questions about the decision to fire Barker. If she is evasive, she will be cross-examined until she cannot avoid the issue. Now, predictably, you will respond by saying some variation on “LOL, Repervlicans, shills, etc.” But those are the facts, and the transcript of her sworn testimony will then be used against her in the criminal proceedings. This is bad news for Kane, not to mention the rest of us who must foot the bill for her raging ego and incompetence.
OMG …. someone she fired filed a lawsuit ?!? ….. She needs to resign ….. LMAO …… “So the Attorney General will now have to deal with this civil suit at the same time as her criminal trial.” Nick Field is really setting the world on fire with that commentary!!!