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Stack Battles, Concedes Allegations During Awkward Press Conference

Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter

Mike Stack was backed into a corner. Literally.

The Lieutenant Governor may have added to his troubles during a press conference he called to respond to the investigation into his actions ordered by Governor Tom Wolf.  

Reporters crowded Stack’s office as he sat behind his corner desk.

The Office of Inspector General is investigating accusations that Stack and his wife verbally abused members of security detail and staff at the LG’s mansion.  

“We are both sorry for hurting feelings,” Stack said of his and his wife’s behavior. 

“I see it as an opportunity to shed some light on things that we need to do better,” Stack said during the press conference.  

“Women across Pennsylvania love that my wife stands up for herself.”

The press conference ended up being a ‘mea culpa,’ with Stack repeatedly apologizing for his actions – but only indirectly admitted what those actions were.  

When asked if he believed he had an anger problem, Stack responded saying, “I think we have a human problem.”  

Stack also gave some insights into the notably frosty relationship between himself and Wolf. Lt. governors are nominated separately from governors, with the matter having no direct control of the former. Wolf and Stack have rarely appeared together.

“The last time we spoke was over a week ago,” Stack said.

The investigation does not change Stack’s plan to seek re-election.

“I will be running next year,” Stack said.  

The press conference also had problems stemming from choice of location.  Stack held the conference while sitting at his desk, with no way to easily leave or end the question and answer session.

“You always hold a mea culpa press conference where you can leave after you are done,” Chris Nicholas, the principal of Eagle Consulting Group said. Nicholas has managed campaigns and communications for a number of candidates and organizations.

Stack ended his press conference by walking out onto the balcony of the LG’s office.  

“It is a nice day today, so I am going to leave this way,” Stack concluded.  

PoliticsPA has reached out to Wolf’s office for comment.

32 Responses

  1. gulag Pittsburgh-

    I was merely point out that Stack’s tactic was to get ahead of the story and issue a blank apology, rather than attempt to be defensive, to deescalate the situation. The United CEO shot himself and the company in the foot and lost a billion dollars in stock value practically overnight.

    I’d like to see Fetterman run for higher office, but I’ve seen ZERO indications that he want to run for anything. Actually, the Dems should get his wife to run. She’s extremely impressive with her community work, and needs a bigger platform to spread her programs.

    I think state rep is achievable objective for Katie for elective office. She “could” run for congress in the 6th, but that seat hasn’t been good for Dems, though has been good for the DCCC consultants pissing away money. She’d have a better chance being a state rep first for a few cycles and getting some legislative successes that she could promote for a congressional run.

  2. What about that Fetterman guy in Braddock for Lt. Gov? He seemed to impress everybody and you said he just needed a bigger stage to season on.

  3. @DD-

    Anonymous posters continue to shock me with their insistence they have a clue.

    BTW, I’ve got nothing against Katie, but her political career does not seem to have “statewide” written on it.

    If she truly wants to serve the party and implement Democratic values, then taking a state house seat away from the GOP, and becoming a legislator herself is a great path. I think she’d win the seat easily.

  4. Diano. You continue to shock me with your insistence you have a clue.

    That aside. Stack for Gov. Don’t let him push you around.

  5. Jim McGinley-

    McGinty for Lt Gov? She already ran for Gov, PA Dem chair, and US Senate (and finally/thankfully ended Sestak’s political career). Her tenure a Chief of Staff got mixed reviews, and I still can’t figure out what she did as head of Wolf’s bullsh*t “Fresh Start” PAC whose purpose was to punish the state party for rejecting her as chair. Basically, McGinty doesn’t seem to have a strong connection to enough parts of the state or state level activities.

    Katie is in the 157th state house district, currently held by Republican Warren Kampf. The seat is pretty much even 17,000 Dems and 17,000 Republicans with about 7,000 independents.

    She should run for this seat. It is ripe for flipping, and the Dems need every seat we can get with the current numbers: 121-R and only 82-D.

    Maybe Wolf will finally help out a state house candidate.

    I don’t think Fetterman has any interest in Lt. Gov.

    Currently, Wolf has left the Lt Gov position with two duties:
    1) preside over the state senate
    2) wait for Wolf to die (or quit or be impeached)

    I cannot speak to which of these two duties Mike Stack looks forward to the most each morning.

  6. Stack and Tonya are such little people. They and their minions literally spend hour upon hour creating fake Aliases to post on PoliticsPA….. they are sad deaparate people. They shouldn’t be in public service. Let’s keep them in rehab where they belong…….. Mcginty or Fetterman for LG 2018

  7. Lt Gov Stack will be the next Governor. His likability factor, experience and Philly base plus his support out West puts him in drivers seat. Except for the York area, he will win every region of Pa in the primary for sure. And he is running. You heard it here.

  8. Answer Desk-

    The story is more that the press conference was “awkward” than any actually damaging claims.

  9. Nixon had a “Stack moment”. Look where that got him.
    I just hope Mikey and Tawnya get the help they need. I will pray for their balcony stranded whis*** soaked souls. Bless them. Bless Arrogance. Bless the Sabatinas. Bless Farnese. Bless everyone.

    MCGINTY FOR LIEUT 2018!!

    PS: Can’t wait for all of the ex-staffers to start telling their personal horror stories. There are plenty of them…

  10. Hey Fool, I wonder what Mary Sin Obie looks like in a BIKINI. I’d like to drink with her.

  11. Diano if what you’re saying is true, Stack was an idiot to have a press conference to make himself look guilty of something by prattling on about nothing and never answering a direct question.

    Oh yeah, I forgot…Stack IS an idiot. Never mind.

  12. Hey Governor Wolf how about investigating all the pay for play that your staff is running out of the state democrat headquarters. You know backroom contract deals, Mary Sin Obie remember them YOUR staff.

    Rendell forced the party to have “drunken Mary” as the Executive Director you Governor Wolf forced “no clue backdoor Sin” as the Executive Director.

    Tell us did you help Sin and Corey destroy all the financial records of the State Party or did you just watch as they destroyed the records?

    Start investigating your own house.

  13. Governor Wolf Call 911 over heard profaning in the capital hall way. Starving unemployed Pennsylvanians ok, but no worry cussing is not permitted.

  14. Stack did all he could. He answered the questions. The article seems to try desperately to keep the story alive…it’s over. This particular article looks like a planted, petty story to me…by whom is the inquiry…quoting the GOP consultant may give an indication of who is trying to keep the story alive…

  15. Rob McCords’s Cellmate-

    First of all, Kane was convicted on trumped up charges in a malicious political conspiracy involving prosecutors and judges (including one of the supreme court judges that voted against her had to resign when his own emails and conflict of interest got revealed). Elected officials and wannabees for her position were likely involved as well.

    I wasn’t “friends” with McCord. Up until the revelations about his misuse of his power, he appeared to be a good Treasurer and public servant, and seemed to have the skill-set needed for Gov. However, in his primary debate 3 years ago, he made up a bunch of insane racial accusations against Wolf. It was despicable and I not only said so publicly, but sent out hundreds of emails to Dems in my address book condemning his behavior.

    I’m holding off on the specifics for a few reasons:
    1) I don’t want to reveal/burn my sources (I’ll let them fill in the details here)
    2) The information is enough for the wolf-pack to know that they stepped in it
    3) I’m giving them the opportunity to pull back now, before they unleash a sh*tstorm.

    Isaac L. –

    I’m holding back on the specifics for now. A lot of the stuff the wolf-pack has been doing is either better documented than they realize or pissed off more people than they realized (people looking for political payback). Wolf’s got almost no political capital. He keeps the state committee in line because of his control over donor money to them, rather than loyalty, leadership, respect or inspiration.

    Mary Ellen-
    That’s right. You don’t have to hold a grudge against Wolf’s behavior, but remembering is going to prevent a lot of people from going an extra mile to support him. Instead of circulating his petitions, circulate petitions for a struggling state rep or state senate candidate.

  16. To me a Democrat is someone who can support anyone Democrat in the Primary and then supports whoever wins and runs in the General. Unfortunately, that is not the feeling of the Wolf Pack. You were and still are blackballed if you supported someone other then Wolf in the Primary. I think the Wolf Pack will find out the hard way, that we have memories, we don’t hold grudges like they do, but we remember.

  17. I normally find Diano’s commentary interesting and often instructive, but he seems a bit off base here – feels like it’s some grasping at rumor and innuendo but no substance.

  18. Dave- you got me on the misspell. Sick burn.

    You loved being an apologist for Kathy Kane who was convicted by a jury of her peers. If my memory serves me correctly you also were a friend of my best buddy Bobby McCord.

    You’re throwing out a lot of chutzpah about Wolf. Either man up and throw down specifics to your charges or go home. If you’re going to play in the majors you at least better know what you’re talking about.

  19. Observer-

    Google: cursing sign of intelligence

    as well as: swearing and honesty

    I really don’t trust the honest or intelligence of someone who doesn’t curse in private (and occasionally in public when it’s called for). There’s a serious “repressed” or phony quality to people who are afraid to let out a curse word or two, or hiding their true feelings behind a fake smile and kind words.

    Curse words are part of the vocabulary and can succinctly convey a lot of meaning about someone. If you refer to someone as a pr*ck or @sshole, people get the meaning pretty quickly, especially since you cut through the BS and spoke plainly.

  20. Answer Desk-

    I don’t think that Stack and his wife acted like children. I think Wolf is being a child by trying to smear the Stacks with trumped up bullsh*t.

    I’m not saying that Stack’s press-conference wasn’t awkward. However, the entire “investigation” is so ridiculous (and politically motivated) that the only real move for Stack was issue a blanket apology for any lack of decorum, chalk it up to a bit of misunderstanding or being a bit short with people after a long day, and move on.

    This is a pretty desperate move by Wolf to tarnish Stack (and it’s only going to backfire if the Stacks or their supporters retaliate with whatever dirt they have on Wolf). Wolf and his team are clearly insecure about his chances, so they are trying to preempt any competitive challenges. This is a sign of weakness, not strength.

  21. You guys are clearlyNOT reading what the Philly press- who know Mike and Tonya well – are reporting about this white trash pair. Streams of obscenities flow from their low-class mouths to anyone who dares to get in their way on the way to the outlet shops. And then there is this much-reported and well-witnessed incident (I think there’s video of her flipping the bird out there on youtube…):
    This little incident with Classy Mrs. Stack was two years ago:
    Democratic State Rep. Kevin Boyle said Tonya Stack flipped him off and threw an entire cup of soda at him inside a Northeast Philadelphia parish hall Saturday.

    The alleged incident took place inside St Dominic Church’s parish hall during a fundraiser for the family of slain Northeast Philly military veteran Michael Strange.

    “She sat down and flipped me the bird within three to four seconds of sitting down,” said Boyle, adding that he assumed the obscene gesture was related to his ongoing beef with Stack. “After she gave me the bird, I said, ‘What a trashy move.’”

    The next moment, Boyle claims, he was covered in what he described as a dark-colored soda.

    “She aimed the soda at me and it landed directly on me hitting from my chest to my lap,” he said.

  22. Diano, seriously what are you talking about? Wolf didn’t make Stack and his wife act like children. Stack spent an hour today acting ridiculous and saying nothing. He’s a buffoon.

  23. Rob McCords’s Cellmate-

    Consider the scenario that Stack wasn’t abusive and Wolf pushed some lackeys to say Stack was, just to smear him.

    Was Wolf paying for staff that didn’t show up to work? If so, wouldn’t he be guilty of abusing the taxpayers?

    “enabler/apologist for currurpt [sic: corrupt]PA politicians”? Are you f*cking kidding me?

    Shapiro took $150,000 from the Charter school PAC, and I called him out on it. It sure smells like a bribe to look the other way, and not investigate all the other “donations” to see if they look like quid-pro-quo bribes for votes to undermine public education and fund for-profit charters.

    Wolf takes a shit-ton from the fracking industry and won’t push for a moratorium and gave up on an extraction tax (which he could have gotten) to fund the schools. Has Wolf made any questionable appointments/hires tied to big donors?

    I’ve certainly called for an investigation into Uber-gate and the questionable expenses on the PA Dems PAC credit card. Rumor has it that the “gift-ban” is a fig leaf and perks are traveling a different route.

    The HDCC and SDCC seem designed to funnel money from candidates and donors into specific vendors and consulting firms. Sure, it’s not taxpayer dollars, but still a form of strong-arming, nepotism, corruption and payback to key donors/allies at the expense of other donors expecting political services at fair values.

  24. David- consider the scenario that Stack was abusive to PSP and staff. If the information was brought to Wolf and he did nothing, wouldn’t he be guilty of enabling an abusive work place? Wolf ran a large company, he doesn’t tolerate nonsense like this.

    Seems like you are an enabler/apologist for currurpt PA politicians much like the GOP is for ol’ twitter fingers Trump.

    Let’s wait for the report to come out. Say what you want about Wolf- but both sides of the aisle know his character is unimpeachable.

  25. Stack wife yells at cops… OMG lets investigate…. Nation of Wusses.
    Commonwealth full of pussies. Well except Stack’s Wife she has balls. She isn’t taking your shit.

  26. Humpty Wolfie sat on a wall,
    Humpty Wolfie had a great fall;
    All the Governors horses and all the Governors men
    Couldn’t put Wofie together again

    Who in the HELL gives this man advice??
    Let’s look at the big picture.
    Wolf Buys the primary election
    Corbett is so hated across the state that a dead cat could beat him
    Corbett loses the general election, Wolf takes over
    From day one he and his pack start their political revenge.

    Wolf refuses to even talk to democrat leaders across the state that didn’t support him in the primary. His/Mary revenge on state committee for refusing to endorse wolf starts.
    State elected House and Senate leaders try and build a relationship with Wolf and his pack. All fails, wolf demands they fall on their sword for no reason.

    House and Senate realize they must vote against wolf and his pack ideas before they are all destroyed. Don’t forget the millions Wolf and his failed budget cost the tax payers.
    Wolf and his pack order all agencies under the Governor to stop all constituency services to all House and Senate members who vote against him. He orders them to hold up all requests.
    THESE are REAL people with REAL needs.
    Mary/Wolf screams flips out on all members. Swears, calls them names (but that’s all ok)

    Wolf and his pack are such fools they email this order. House and Senate have a copy of the emails from Wolf and Mary to play revenge games with these public servants.

    Lt. Gov Stack refuses to take part in these games. Wolf now comes after Stack. But forgot the emails and text messages House and Senate have on all the political games wolf plays.

    WOLF how STUPID can you possibly be??? You sink so low that you even attack Lt Governor wife… That is just lowlife scum behavior.
    I guess you will learn what happens when you piss on an electric fence.

  27. Our familia has an expensive leash on Stack so that we can keep stacking even though the reformer has tried to stop us. The wife is a mouthy, mean little runt. I think I may have mis-spelled that.

  28. gulag-

    I think it’s political smart of Stack to issue an apology, unlike the CEO of United. 🙂

    Stack stayed away from specifics with a blanket apology in the hopes of killing the story. Nothing feeds a bullsh*t story like this as much as denials or appearance of a cover-up, which make people think there is something to it.

    But, Wolf crossed a line with this petty attack, and payback is going to be a serious bitch, as Stack surely has supporters who know which closets contain skeletons of Wolf’s.

  29. This sounds like Wolf is trying to burn wet leaves near Stack: create a lot of smoke where there is no fire

    I don’t know what the Stacks allegedly said to staff (or the circumstances), but this is petty even by Wolf’s low standards.

    And, let’s not forget. petulant Wolf REFUSED to attend any state committee events when the committee voted to reelected Jim Burn, and not have Wolf’s pick of McGinty shoved down their throat. Wolf and friends then spend over a year undermining and underfunding the state party to make Jim look bad, so they could force him out. Once then, after Wolf installed his new stooge as chairman, did he start coming to events and turning the donor spigot back on.

    So, lots of pettiness here means that Wolf is worried about a challenge from Stack.

    “I will be running next year,” Stack said.

    I don’t see a qualifier regarding what office. 🙂

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