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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

AG Kane Has Become a Pain

When Kathleen Kane was elected Pennsylvania's Attorney General, I had high hopes for her. I never bought into her campaign claim that Governor Corbett had dragged his feet on the Sandusky scandal, but it persuaded many voters. I was impressed by what I thought was her advocacy for children, and voted for her. I admit it. It is now clear to me that the only person she has ever advocated for is herself. And she's doing a lousy job of it. Instead of seeing her as a viable U.S. Senate candidate against Pat Toomey, I doubt she'll hold on to the office she won so convincingly. Her luster is gone.

Her first big mistake centers around her decision to shut down a corruption probe that caught Philadelphia are state reps and one district judge accepting gifts. That decision may have been the right call, but accusing career prosecutors of anti-black bias is bizarre when most of them were themselves black. She then got into a public passing match with Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, challenged him to take the case,and he did. When the Inky began to ask hard questions, she hired Richard Sprague for a possible defamation suit.  

Her second big error is more recent, and it concerns the long awaited Sandusky report. She commissioned a law school professor who, in balanced, election-free language, basically exonerated Governor Corbett, who at the time was AG. Corbett played no politics, and using a Grand Jury was a reasonable way to proceed. But when she released the analysis, Kane still insisted there were "inexplicable delays" and claimed that Sandusky had added two more victims to his list as the investigation dragged on.

That would be terrible, except it's a lie. Kane was forced to admit her error, not in person, but through someone who would not identify himself.

There's a third problem, though the press has been slow to pick up on it.

In January, a Kathleen Kane Grand Jury, issued a scathing presentment recommending charges against Luzerne County Attorney Shelley Centini. Representing an accused double-murder, she was called part of a "cabal of criminals" who engaged in witness intimidation and even paid witnesses. In scathing language, Centini was branded as a "win-at-any-cost" lawyer.

They made her sound like a Mafia shill.

She's a Public Defender.

Accused of numerous felonies, from perjury to witness intimidation, bail was set at $500,000 unsecured.

Earlier this month, all charges were dismissed following a preliminary hearing. That almost never happens, and means that Kane failed to establish even a prima facie case.

It appears that what Kane allegations and reality are in different domains.

Some might call this inexperience. I think she's dishonest, which is a bad character trait in an Attorney General.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this analysis, Bernie. I voted for her also, and have found her disappointing. She did take the right position on gay marriage, IMO, but the rest of what I have heard I have not liked.

Dreaming of Justice said...

Worst of all: she is not smart.

Anonymous said...

But She looks hot.That counts for something.We all need some laughs/

maverick said...

She's not very sharp AND dishonest- When she shut down the Philly corruption probe, and got into a pissing match with Seth Williams- that did it for me!

Anonymous said...

Didn't she run for office on a rather large lie about her amount of actual courtroom experience?

She also ran the most staunchly anti-union motor carrier company I've experienced in 35 years in the business. She and her dad hated unions so much, I always though she was a Republican.

Anonymous said...

Kane is an opportunist. Only a political opportunist or someone with little grasp of the issue would say something like:

"It's a gateway drug. When you don't get your high from marijuana you're going to turn to something else. It's going to be oxycodone and then it's going to be heroin. It doesn't stop just at marijuana. I oppose it for criminal justice reasons."

And she's supposed to be the progressive.

Anonymous said...

@ 8:29
I wasn't aware of that. What an idiot! Funny, she doesn't look like the DA from the 1960's Dragnet series.
She probably thinks parents forget they have a kid and it drowns in bathtub because they are so high on marijuana. (One of my favorite Dragnet episodes for the laughs)

I also made a mistake voting for her. Brown and Kane is nothing for me to brag about.

Anonymous said...

I better clarify before the trolls appear...
Laughs are at the belief marijuana can result in a bathtub drowning - not at the drowning of a kid.

Anonymous said...

You nailed it Bernie,
I thought she was the most savvy politician in a while, always coming out on the public's side of issues. Sure, it could have looked political but it was always populist. Then the Philly corruption thing, then Sandusky...It really puts her whole record into another light.

Ovem Lupo Commitere said...

I mainly voted for her when the Republicans came out with the ad claiming she was soft on rape. However, one of the victims' own father called the ad a lie, and it was withdrawn/changed. I figured if that were the type of ethics of the GOP candidate, he shouldn't be AG.

Since then, Kane has also shown that perhaps she too lacks the ethics to be AG.

This is sad. Of all offices, the Attorney General should be above reproach. Dem or GOP, I certainly hope this is rectified.

Anonymous said...

It never was before, why start now.

Anonymous said...

It never was before, why start now.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Ovem, I agree.