Full court press to attack Attyn Gen. Kane -did she refuse to charge Black Phila. politicians?

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140316_Kane_shut_down_sting_that_snared_Phila__officials.html

This article made the top of the front page of the Phila. Inquirer. (The 1% of the copies that weren't printed 5 days in advance).

I don't know whether this is a legitimate attack, or a smear campaign against a popular Dem. The accusations are that Corbett's guys in the AG office had offered a couple thousand dollars worth of gifts to African-American Democratic legislators from Philadelphia. (Type-casting?) After she took office, Kane refused to press charges - saying the sting was poorly done and racially biased. One legislator was told that the gift was in return for voting against the Voter ID law - which was laughable because there was no doubt that every Dem was already going to going to vote against it (especially Dems from Philadelphia).

Kane consulted with the long-time Republican County DA who has jurisdiction over Harrisburg and he also concluded the case was not worthy of prosecution.

Corbett's boys then tried to take their case to Federal prosecutors and they also refused to prosecute.

Excerpts:

"After Kane took office, her top staff conducted a review of the sting operation, in partnership with FBI agents. In the end, she chose not to pursue it. In addition to asking federal officials to assess the case, her office asked the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office in Harrisburg to review it as well.

In an interview, District Attorney Ed Marsico, a Republican, said his staff had reviewed a summary of the investigation prepared by Kane's staff and determined the case "almost unprosecutable."

"the sting often failed to explicitly link payments to a quid pro quo of official action. As a consequence, the office said, the investigation was marred by a lack of "quality control" that would have made the cases difficult to win in court."

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PA. is one of the few states with NO limits on the amounts of campaign contributions from any individual. One candidate for Governor received $3 million from one group of 3 guys in 2009. A federal judge also just overturned PA's decades-old prohibition on corporations making political donations to PACs. Therefore, if these legislators had accepted a $2 million campaign contribution, that would be fine. However, a $2,000 bracelet was a felony.

Let's also remember that vacation on a private yacht and a few flights on a private jet that Corbett "forgot" to report, and the vacation home he bought in Hilton Head that he also forgot to report.

By the way, AG Kane did file corruption charges against an African-American state senator from Philadelphia. 7 witnesses were relied upon in that case.

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Update: Here is AG Kane's response. Full text is included because there is no copyright:

"The allegations made by several cowardly anonymous sources in today's Philadelphia Inquirer paint an inaccurate and sensational version of the details and timeline of events related to Case File No. 36-622. The real truth is that this investigation was not only deeply flawed, but unraveled long before I was elected and then took the oath of office.

"The majority of the work, including more than 91 percent of the recordings by a confidential informant, took place 18 months prior to my inauguration, through three former Attorneys General. Additionally, when prosecutors dismissed more than 2,000 serious charges of fraud that alleged their informant stole $430,000 meant for poor children and seniors, they crippled the chance of this case succeeding in prosecution. Despite the case originating in 2010, this agreement to drop the charges was signed just 24 days after I was elected and weeks before I was sworn in.

"After a detailed review, we learned even more disturbing information regarding this case, including that there may have been a racial focus to the targets of the investigation, improper reporting, inadequate resources and inadmissible evidence.

"In addition, extremely alarming flaws were found in the management of the prosecution, including the failure of prosecutors to disclose the investigation to key immediate supervisors. Then-Chief of Staff Bruce Beemer was never informed of the investigation until I first learned of it on Jan. 17, 2013.

"Furthermore, I do not have any animosity towards the lead prosecutor of this case. I do not know the former prosecutor any more than I know the individuals targeted in this investigation. If the former prosecutor believes the case is strong enough to move forward, he currently has concurrent jurisdiction in public corruption matters.

"Prosecuting political corruption remains a top priority of my administration. The notion of elected officials accepting bribes or cash turns my stomach. It is unfortunate that the investigation was so botched that this case was found unable to be prosecuted not just by career professionals in my office but both federal authorities and Dauphin County District Attorney Edward Marisco, a Republican.

"I stand solidly behind the decisions of my administration and assure the people of Pennsylvania that my office holds itself to a much higher standard of professionalism, prosecutorial discretion and respect for the civil liberties of all Pennsylvanians than apparently was displayed over the course of this investigation.

"My record speaks for itself that prosecutions have no political agenda. Of the 11 public corruption cases we have brought so far, the majority involve Democrats. I will not sit back and allow lies from those who seek to destroy the public's trust in me or my office."