PA: Criminal Charges Recommended For AG Kathleen Kane

Image from frontpage magazine.


The current AG in Pennsylvania is Kathleen Kane.  She was elected in 2012, and is an avid disarmist.   She has gone so far as to say that she will not defend the recently passed gun reform bill from a lawsuit filed by PA cities.  The law targeted cities  that violate Pennsylvania gun law and citizens second amendment rights.

She has been under investigation for leaking information from a Grand Jury in order to undercut a probe into corruption involving the head of the NAACP in Philadelphia.  From post-gazette.com:

The investigation involved alleged financial improprieties of J. Whyatt Mondesire, the former president of the Philadelphia NAACP. Then-state prosecutor Frank G. Fina, with whom Ms. Kane has been locked for months in a bitter and tangled dispute over how certain cases were handled, oversaw it.

Now the statewide Grand Jury investigating AG Kane has reccommended criminal charges against her.  From philly.com:

The panel concluded that Kane violated grand-jury secrecy rules by leaking investigative material in a bid to embarrass political enemies, sources said.

Some of those familiar with the grand jury presentment say it recommended charges that included perjury and contempt of court.

Another scandal came from disclosure that Kane shut down a "sting" operation for Philadelphia officials:

Kane's tenure has been marked by controversy over the last year, much of it generated by an Inquirer disclosure that she had secretly shut down an undercover "sting" investigation that had caught elected officials from Philadelphia on tape accepting cash.

Philadelphia is one of the cities that is claiming that the state gun reform law is invalid.   They do not claim that the law is unconstitutional, but are challenging the way in which it was passed.  The law passed the House by 153 to 54.  It passed the Senate by 34-16.   The law would hold Philadelphia to account for violating Pennsylvania law.  This is the law that Kane refuses to defend in court. 

The Brady Center has said that they will pay for the lawsuit.  From PAFOA, citing an CeasefirePA letter:

2. However, in the event that a lawsuit occurs, the Brady Center (currently representing Pittsburgh) has promised to represent pro bono (free of charge) any Pennsylvania municipality that passes lost or stolen handgun reporting. The Brady  Center has given me the authority to convey this offer to Erie.

Now that the Grand Jury has recommended criminal charges against Kane,  a county AG will decide whether to indict the state AG.

Definition of  disarmist 

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