Will Governor Wolf Call for Kane Resignation?

Member Group : Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania

As we’ve previously noted, Attorney General Kane dropped the ball when it came to prosecuting Democratic officials caught on tape accepting bribes. It turns out that was not the only case she dropped. According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Attorney General also ended an investigation into two political power players from the Northeastern Pennsylvania:

"Just months after taking office in 2013, according to people familiar with the matter, Kane revoked subpoenas already delivered to former casino owner DeNaples and William Conaboy, another political power player in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Kane’s home turf.

"Though one of her most senior aides had approved questioning the two men, Kane told colleagues that the prosecutor running the case was being ‘too aggressive’ and was placing an unfair burden on DeNaples and Conaboy, a person familiar with the case said.

"Five months after the subpoenas were withdrawn, public records show, DeNaples, through his Pocono Gardens Realty business, contributed $25,000 to Kane’s campaign fund – a contribution she ended up returning later that year." (Emphasis added)

Evidently, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Inquirer; the following day they called for Kane’s resignation.

However, the slow motion train wreck that is Kathleen Kane’s career did not end there. Late last week, two of the Attorney General’s offices were served with warrants related to Kane’s emails. The warrants were related to the ongoing investigation into the Attorney General leaking grand jury information and a new potential scandal.

Despite a court protection order, Kane fired a prosecutor who testified before a grand jury:

"Montgomery County Judge William Carpenter ordered Kane to appear in a public courtroom to tell a three-judge panel why her firing of the prosecutor was not witness intimidation. A court order barred retaliation against employees who testified against her in a grand jury investigation…’In the event that the protective order was violated, an indirect criminal contempt proceeding will follow forthwith,’ Carpenter wrote." (Emphasis added)

Two days before firing a legally protected witness, Governor Wolf defended Kane and has not shown any signs of reversing his position. What exactly will it take for Wolf to change his mind?