We’ve collected the reactions of various officials and candidates to the guilty verdict in the Kathleen Kane case. Governor Wolf’s is already detailed here.
The rest are presented below:
PA Democratic Party Chairman Marcel Groen
“This is a sad day for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a sad day for the Kane family.”
PA Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason
“Today is a terrible day for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Gleason said. “It is time to bring honor and respect back to the Office of the Attorney General and that is why we will work shoulder to shoulder with John Rafferty to see his vision of reform become a reality.”
State Senator and Republican AG Nominee John Rafferty
“Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s conviction today marks a sad day in the history of Pennsylvania and the culmination of a very troubling series of events that have distracted the Office of Attorney General from its mission to protect the people of Pennsylvania from crime and fraud,” Rafferty said. “Kane campaigned on the slogan ‘A Prosecutor, NOT a Politician,’ but it turned out to be just words as she spent far more of her time concerned with her own political ambitions and exercising petty political vendettas than the important work of protecting Pennsylvanians and their families.”
“However, I do believe this sad chapter can serve as a turning point and an opportunity for Pennsylvania to reform this important office with new leadership that will place the protection of people from crimes and fraud over politics. In this year’s Attorney General race, I am more qualified and experienced than my opponent and I am the only one who has promised to check my political ambitions at the door by pledging never to seek higher office if elected. I will concentrate my full attention on ensuring Pennsylvania is a safer place for all of us by restoring integrity to the Office of Attorney General, attacking the heroin epidemic and going after predators who are preying on our children and seniors.”
“Sadly, my opponent will be nothing more than a continuation of the failed Kane Administration. Commissioner Shapiro views this office as a political stepping stone to the Governor’s Mansion, and with zero relevant experience I fear he would commit the same transgressions we have seen over the last four years.”
“It’s time for a new direction. On November 8th, Pennsylvanians will have an opportunity to restore integrity, public confidence and effectiveness to the Office by electing me to serve as our next Attorney General.”
Democratic AG Nominee Josh Shapiro
“This is another sad chapter for our Commonwealth and a reminder of how hard we need to work together in Pennsylvania to restore the public trust in our democracy.
Given the verdict, I believe the Attorney General should resign.
We should remember that the real victims of these scandals are the people of Pennsylvania who’ve been left behind by a government that often isn’t working for them. We need to restore integrity to our justice system so that the people’s business – protecting consumers, fighting the heroin epidemic, and keeping our communities safe – comes first.”
State House Majority Leader Dave Reed
“Pennsylvania cannot have a top law enforcement officer who is convicted of breaking the laws she was elected to enforce. Legislative leaders, both Republicans and Democrats as well as the governor have called on Ms. Kane to step down for more than a year. With the heroin epidemic endangering the lives of our residents on a daily basis, and ongoing battles against organized crime and child predators, the people of this state deserve and need a functional attorney general.
“It is past time for this saga to end, and it is time Ms. Kane puts the interests of the people of Pennsylvania before her own. It is time for Ms. Kane to resign.”
PA-8 GOP Nominee Brian Fitzpatrick
“Tonight’s conviction of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane is unbelievably disappointing, but, unfortunately, not surprising. While far too many Pennsylvanians have come to expect this type of politicking, corruption and abuse of power by too many in Harrisburg, this brazen abuse of power must not represent the ‘new normal.’
Having spent virtually my entire career arresting corrupt politicians as an FBI Special Agent, and having served as a National Supervisor in the FBI’s Political Corruption Unit, I can tell you firsthand how instances like this by career politicians erode citizens’ trust in their government at its core. These continuous violations of the public trust must end. Too many in Harrisburg and Washington see themselves as above the rules and free from the scrutiny of those they represent as elected officials.
If we really want to reform the system, we must change those we send to represent us. This change can only come from those outside of the system – it cannot, and will not, come from career partisan politicians like Steve Santarsiero who represent a perpetuation of the broken status quo that results in endless corruption and erosion of trust in government.”
State Senator Rob Teplitz
“For the third time in the past year, I have to state publicly that Kathleen Kane’s continuation in office as attorney general is not tenable. I took this position last August, when she was charged with crimes that go to the very heart of the fair and impartial administration of justice. I took the same position six months ago, when the consequences of those charges compelled the Senate to consider whether an attorney general could function without an active law license. And tonight, I take no pleasure in reiterating that position upon her conviction.
“It is well past time for the drama and turmoil in the Office of Attorney General to come to an end. I urge Ms. Kane to finally put the public interest first and resign her position immediately.”
Trump-Pence PA Senior Advisor David Urban
“It is unsurprising that yet another Clinton insider has chosen to lie under oath to hide their unethical behavior. There is a pattern of criminal behavior that seems to follow Clinton and her allies around. This is another example of Clinton World promising ethical behavior and yet not following through.
No one running for the highest office in the land should be above the law, but Hillary Rodham Clinton has chosen to set the precedent for lying criminals like Kathleen Kane instead.”
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17 Responses
Apparently, deli departments across the state are preparing a new sandwich called “The Kathleen Kane” – it’s cheesy on the outside and a bunch of balony on the inside.
Because they didn’t feel like it. HaHaHa.
an afterthought: where were tom corbett and linda kelly when various staff members were porn mailing ? things sent on state email systems are not private. why did it take the kane regime to discover this ?
as a former prosecutor i can assure DD that grand jury leaks are always investigated by another grand jury and that criminal charges are brought when justifiable. without enforcement of grand jury secrecy under federal and state laws, citizens would be very reluctant to finger the coke dealers, burglary rings and crooked politicians in their midst.
that’s the law. kane broke it. now it remains to be seen whether rich white lawyers convicted of crimes get a serious sentence the law provides, or a Joan Orie Melvin ‘walk in the park’ of 3 years’ house arrest on probation in her 1/2 – million dollar suburban home.
HaHaHa….. #1 Sending porn emails may not be a crime HOWEVER, when it’s sent from a STATE computer on STATE time ….. according to FRANK FINA et al, that’s THEFT OF SERVICES. FINA successfully prosecuted many a people for the same crime and WON … why shouldn’t he and company (lawyers, judges, etc.).
Think back thru the other scandals, Bonusgate, Computergate, Sanduskygate, etc. did you hear about Grand Jury leaks. They happen all the time bc everyone wants the HEADLINES. Even when Kane was heading to appear before the Grand Jury the first time, it was “leaked” that she was going down and what date as well. Where did that come from, if not LEAKED!!!
The system as you refer to it, is not ALL that it is cracked up to be. It has been rumored and apparently proven that FINA can basically take an innocent person, throw charges against them to see what charges will remain and prosecute or at the last minute decide, oh … let’s drop the charges agains this person …. basically that person didn’t really do anything wrong, so let that person go. What kind of a system does that? Which brings to my mind, how many other people have FINA and his crew prosecuted over the years that went to jail that should NOT have been only because they prosecution got what they wanted….. either to make STATE headlines or get their boss elected Governor!!!
It has been a mistake to have made the AG an elected office
Gulag Pittsburgh, remember how my emails were treated? Remember how she blackmailed attorneys she wasn’t related to in our office?
@ d4:
Regarding your analogy, even were it true, she didn’t have to take a hub-cap souvenir while exposing the car theft ring.
Poor Kane had no brain, being a plain Jane with teeth only money could obtain.
Her time in office was insane, giving us all a migraine, now knowing soon a jail cell will detain.
What is most far-reaching and disgusting was the coziness exposed between the courts and prosecutors. If they can joke about misogyny and racist porn email, they can obviously be biased. Thus, justice and fairness is absent from the PA judicial system.
Diano, you are, on a basic and obvious level, wrong for at least 3 reasons. (1) Sending porn emails is not even illegal, so Kane’s felonies are by definition more serious than what she “uncovered” (accidentally); (2) You downplay the seriousness of both misdemeanor offenses (which, in PA, are a big deal compared to other states) and you are simply wrong that no one ever gets prosecuted for doing so; and (3) your worst mistake is to downplay the violation of the entire justice system in the way that Kane did it — like white collar crime, there’s no blood on the street but the impact is more far-reaching.
The bottom line analogy is that Kane uncovered and exposed a car theft ring. In the course of doing so, she stole a hubcap and got prosecuted for it, though she took down a few supreme court judges along the way (and her detractors like Seth Williams are finally getting theirs).
She didn’t take bribes or any form of corruption that anyone gives two f*ck about, and got prosecuting for lying about a misdemeanor that no one ever gets prosecuted for (even though the grand jury against her leaked like an open fire hydrant).
When are any of you anti-Kane pr*cks going to complaining about the leaks of the sting case and the leaks of the grand jury case against Kane (all done to smear her)?
Kathleen Kane is finished.
Kathleen Kane is toast.
Kathleen Kane is going to jail.
@ everyone except D4:
All that need be done to answer the question as to what “politics” are espoused by d4 is to note whose comments he praises and whose he condemns; the actual quote-contents are tangential, thus explaining his professional appeal to a dirtball-sampling of the population.
DIANO,YOU HAVE NO HONOR.
Now, it’s Nutter’s turn:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20160817_Controller__marathon_money_used_for_Nutter_s_trip_to_Rome__unapproved_grants_and_more.html
““It is time to bring honor and respect back to the Office of the Attorney General”
Back? When did the office have honor? Not under Corbett and Fina.
“a reminder of how hard we need to work together in Pennsylvania to restore the public trust in our democracy”
Does taking $150,000 from charter school PAC “restore the public trust”?
Let me know when David Reed “puts the interests of the people of Pennsylvania before ” his own.
Brian Fitzpatrick sounds like he will use his experience to dodge getting caught.
Rob Teplitz is running for office and GOP votes.
And for the Trump-Pence campaign, it’s all about Hillary (who couldn’t pick Kane out of a line-up) while their own candidate is facing fraud and RICO charges for Trump University.
I give Marcel points for making a compassionate statement, free of politics.