Corbett appeals ruling on Stilp’s ‘free speech’ ethics complaint…
Corbett appeals ruling on Stilp’s ‘free speech’ ethics complaint…
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48 Comments
You would think that AG Corbett would spend resources on, actually, convicting some of the people he indicted. It has been more than a year since the indictments. And, one would hope that Gene Stilp and Aaron Miller do not distract him from the Republicans, all innocent and guiltless because they have not been proven guilty.
Corbett is obliged to defend the laws enacted by the legislature and the institutions like this "Ethics Commission."
The secrecy rule stinks.
In Alaska all those "ethics complaints" about Sarah Palin were publicized.
Pennsylvania's politicians want to cover up allegations against them with the "Ethics Commission" gag rule for those who file complaints.
I hope the Attorney General's office loses on this one and free speech prevails.
Corbett is more of a liability to freedom and ethics then he is an asset.
The wool has been pulled over our eyes.
You would think an educated man would think twice before he mouthed off on subjects he clearly knows very little about.
The AG is the commonwealth's attorney, and so they represent the commission. If the commission wants to file an appeal, it is the AG's job to do so. So you've just criticized the office for doing the job they are supposed to do.
As for Bonusgate convictions, it is a little hard to convict people before they have had a trial. Hearing and trial dates are set by the courts, so once indictments are handed down that schedule is out of the AG's hands. You might as well blame Corbett and his office because your corn flakes were soggy this morning.
And as for what resources are being spent – you do not know what is going on, what resources are allocated, what evidence gathered, any of it. You know a little less than what has been printed in the newspapers. Fume was one person and that took 5 years. Do you think these things happen overnight? I'm sure it is fun for you to armchair quarterback this investigation, but every time you do you are really disrespecting the professionals who are doing the work on this.
Perhaps we should review our equivalent of the First Amendment.
Article 1, Section 7: "The printing press shall be free to every person who may undertake to examine the proceedings of the Legislature or any branch of government, and no law shall ever by made to restrain the right thereof. The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the invaluable rights of man, and every citizen may freely speak, write and print on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty. No conviction shall be had in any prosecution for the publication of papers relating to the official conduct of officers or men in public capacity, or to any other matter proper for public investigation or information, where the fact that such publication was not maliciously or negligently made shall be established to the satisfaction of the jury; and in all indictments for libels the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the facts, under the direction of the court, as in other cases."
Tell me again what Gene was "guilty" of doing? Can enumerated rights be abridged or abrogated by statute?
Ah, but this is PA, where the Constitution isn't worth the paper it is written on, where legislators get paid above and beyond what the constitution says they can earn, where one legislator forges petitions and gets nailed, while a Republican does it and gets away scott free. Where public money isn't supposed to be granted to private corporations, and yet it happens every day, and this is the tip of the iceberg
And an Attorney General who selectively prosecutes and delays justice for political gain.
Alaska has no consequences for frivolous ethics complaints. 15 filed against Palin since she was picked for VP last August, 15 dismissed, most deemed frivolous. All were publicized by the filers. So I'm kinda torn on this. However, Step 1 is not this particular issue, but having an Ethics Commision that does not include political appointees. Revive the Council of Censors, I say.
On Corbett, I don't think he has much choice, but isn't Ed trying to get a Texas law firm to represent PA's interests (instead of the AG) in another case? I guess it would be up to the Ethics Commission to seek other represemtation.
You heard it hear first.
1) The Attorney General is independently elected to protect and enforce the naturally endowed rights of the individual citizen by upholding and defending the Pennsylvania Constitution. Not to do what some Hacks at the phony State Ethics Commission tell him to do.The Rule of Law and the Constitution are the center and core of Pennsylvania Citizens individual freedom. It would be good if the Attorney General would lead by example. All elected are to uphold the Constitution; the AG is elected to enforce it;
2) Does the AG know there is supposed to be trial before conviction. He has tried and convicted Mike Veon and others in the media already.
Be that as it may, it has been two and half years since Jan Murphy and Charles Murphy of the Harrisburg Patriot-News exposed the Bonus payment for political work for House Democrats. It seems the investigative reporters knew more than AG and insiders, for whatever reason, felt more comfortable going to incorruptible and principled investigative reporters Jan Murphy and Charles Thompson than to AG's office.Yes, what I know is from the newspapers and they seem more reliable and informative than AGs office. I would also point to Casablancapa which may be Veon and Cott but it appears that some Righteous Democrats, interested in real reform and reducing Harrisburg corruption, post also. It seems these private citizens are more informative and, likely, more reliable than Kevin Healey and AGs press releases.
Unlike the Fumo case, where the US Attorney and FBI had no hard evidence and no emails, in this case, House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, likely with secret immunity, and his taxpayer paid attorney Bill Chadwick turned over incriminating emails from House Democrats implicating them and giving AG basis for indicting. Then there were the Kevin Sidella and Tom Andrews emails and recently the emails Nora Winkelman found in Michael Edmiston's and Bill Sloane's office.
Bill DeWeese turned over a bonanza of direct, hard evidence, including bank accounts that Fumo investigators never had and few AGs ever get. Jeffrey Foreman appears to have flipped as have Mike Manzo and PJ Lavalle. and yet….no Trial. "Selective Prosecution" may not be legal defense. but it has political pull. The Red County voters may be interested that NO REPUBLICAN has been indicted. Not Perzel, Preski, Crompton, Long, Malpezzi…not one. Who will believe this is not a partisan prosecution.
and should one day, Peg Luksik hear the call? The campaign Peg Luksik fanatically defending the Constitution, honest principled, you can believe it when she promises to uphold the Constitution? Tom Corbett Can he be trusted to be anything more than the Hack he is? And han't AG Corbett so politicized the process. Suppose there were a Democrat as political as Corbett? Only Republican would be prosecuted. The Rule of Law is worth defending more than protecting political cronies. Tom Corbett cannot be trusted to defend the Rule of Law, the Constitution or our individual rights.
It may be time to consider doing what's right only because it is now politically expedient
The Pennsylvania Constitution is a beautiful document. In its original form, it was the foundation of the US Constitution and worth reading to remind ourselves of our rights. It would be good if the AG enforced the Constitution as he was elected to do.
Castor for Governor would have the added advantage of getting rid of loser Bob Asher. You may recall it was Asher who gave us Mike Fisher who gave us Ed Rendell. Imagine someone who was not a Hack running against Rendell. and talks Schweiker out of running. If Asher's pick Corbett is the nominee, there may be eight more years of Democrats. Jack Wagner, Dan Onorato or Tom Knox all look good next to Corbett.
As arrogant and narcissitic and aloof as Castor is, he can be trusted to enforce the law and uphold the Constitution. It is his second nature.
Although not as solidly conservative as Peg Luksik, he is solid enough and he could be a candidate for whom the rank and file could feel some pride.
PS I meant Charles Thompson of Harrisburg Patriot-News who has been diligently covering Bonusgate.
Dolley Madison cites Article 1, Section 7 regarding freedom of the press and an individual's freedom of expression. That is the Constitutional right that the Attorney General was elected to enforce not the secrecy of some Hacks in a government office.
By law, the Office of Attorney General is the legal representative of Pennsylvania's government.
The ethics commission made a ruling, and it is being appealed, so the AG has to represent his client.
He's following the law, folks.
It's different.
One is a class action suit where the state is plaintiff. This is an agency being sued.
Wow – thanks for making my point for me. You've just decided who did or did not do what, who is guilty of what, and how the world works. It must be easy to be right when you don't have to concern yourself with facts or rules.
1) The AG's job is the commonwealths attorney. If the ethics committee (you call them phony, but obviously they do exist) wants to sue, it's his responsibility to do it. The ethics gag law could very well be unconstitutional, but he does not get to determine what is and isn't constitutional – that is what the judiciary is for, and that is the role they will play in this case.
2) The Fumo case had PLENTY of hard evidence, including e-mails and computer files, and that was well documented in the press.
3) For Bonusgate, you have mostly e-mails handed over to the press and published online by Cott and Veon. Hardly non-based. The AG's office hardly ever comments on investigations, so of course you will get your information from the press. It is not the AG's job to tell you what they have found so far, it is their job to gather evidence, indict, try and convict.
4) When the next round of indictments comes down (as has been promised for months), if there are Republicans included, will you admit that the investigation was non-partisan? Or will you cry that they were only charged in order to make it look like they were non-partisan?
every week high ranking state government attorneys decide what to rulings to appeal and what rulings to live with. corbett could have weighed in and said no to this. also, the ag's office decides what cases to take and what cases to delegate back to the state agencies for their attorneys to handle. so corbett could have told the ethics commishs' attorneys to handle this. dr. jeff are you happy the ag and ethics commish are expending resources on this issue? are there not more important things to do. corbett could have took down deweese right after the pay raise when it was made public that he promoted and demoted 15 house members based on their payraise vote. nothing happened. he is weak. always sticking his face in front of a camera every time agents make drug arrests. look at his website. huge ego. he could advise the governor to not sign legislation passed in violation of Article III, sections 1 through 4 of the state constitution and end gut and run. he has not done that. he, the treasurer and wagner could tell ed that their offices will close tuesday if ed doesn't sign a budget. where is his leadership on that. Pennsylvania deserves better than this hack. next gov him or wagner, what a choice.
BULL. Did he or didn't he take an oath to defend and uphold the Constitutions of the US and the Commonwealth?
From page 375 of Pennsylvania Constitutional Law by Robert Woodside, here: http://www.paconstitution.duq.edu/Documents/TREAT...
“If the Attorney General in his opinion believes that a statute is unconstitutional, he has the right and indeed the duty to either cause to be initiated an action in the courts of this Commonwealth and thus obtain judicial determination of the issue or he may prepare, for submission to the General Assembly, such revision of the statute as he may deem advisable. Section 905 of the Administrative Code of April 9, 1929, 71 P.S. 9295."
Does Tom Corbett believe an enumerated right can be abridged or abrogated by statute?
What law?
Stepping on politically sensitive toes — a felony of the first degree.
You are spot on.
Huge ego—I know people who know him personally.
Furthermore, he never met a camera he didn't love.
The public needs to be clued in on this guy.
Ah, the old "I know someone who knows him" internet forum defense. Right up there with the "What about the children?" and Godwin's Law. Are the Hitler comparisons far away?
Wow Dr. Jeff! Did someone pee in your Cheerios this morning? You are against almost every other poster on just about every thread. I hope you have a better day tomorrow.
Thx, JCL.
From page 375 of Pennsylvania Constitutional Law by Robert Woodside, here: http://www.paconstitution.duq.edu/Documents/TREAT...
“If the Attorney General in his opinion believes that a statute is unconstitutional, he has the right and indeed the duty to either cause to be initiated an action in the courts of this Commonwealth and thus obtain judicial determination of the issue or he may prepare, for submission to the General Assembly, such revision of the statute as he may deem advisable. Section 905 of the Administrative Code of April 9, 1929, 71 P.S. 9295."
Corbett has a duty to defend and uphold the constitution through judicial process. He's on the wrong side of this….he's appealing a correct ruling…….Does he really believe statute can abrogate an enumerated right? If so, we're in bigger trouble than I thought.
Thank you, Dolley Madison. You have said it better than I.
If the Attorney General indicts Leadership Republicans, House and Senate, present and former, I will most relieved and admit that prosecution is not partisan.
Oddly, former Rep. Matt Wright has not been indicted for what his chief of staff, Lisa Veon, detailed in an affidavit to be Jeff Habay activities.
The Constitution is the supreme law of Pennsylvania. You are right that AG must obey the law. and the Rule of Law is articulated in the Constituion. Article 1, Sec 7 as Dolley Madison has kindly quoted for us.
The AG is elected independently so he or she can independently make a determination of the Constitutionality of an Act of the General Assembly or an agency ruling.
Good point. The AG has the discretion where to spend office resources. That is the legitimate justification for "selective prosecution." the AGs office is independent and could have very legitimately decided not to spend resources squashing a citizen's freedom of speech.
This just signals to me that if you hold an elected office and are running for a higher one, you need to leave the first job so there are no improprieties. If you lose, too bad, so sad.
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
Tom Corbett is the main character in a series of Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories that were depicted in television, radio, books, comic books, comic strips, coloring books, punch-out books and View-Master reels in the 1950s. The stories followed the adventures of Tom Corbett, Astro, and Roger Manning, cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the elite Solar Guard. The action takes place at the Academy in classrooms and bunkroom, aboard their training ship the rocket cruiser Polaris, and on alien worlds, both within our solar system and in orbit around nearby stars.
…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Corbett,_Space_C...
I see the role of a attorney for the State, but having one office serve both roles is an inherent conflict of interest, isn't it? How do you serve two masters?
If, as the other poster states, the AG is the State's attorney, who represents us — the people?
Like I told you a week ago, several present and former House GOP staffers and legislators have already been told they are "in the clear." Senate GOP was never seriously investigated in the first place. Corbett will be saying "this investigation is ongoing" right up until election day for governor, when he gets creamed by Onorato/Wagner.
It's the law in the city of Philadelphia.
Great. Too bad Corbett and Wagner are from the opposite side of the state.
ROFLAO! Maybe we are witnessing the "New Adventures of Tom Corbett – Space Cadet and Friends."
Onorato?! Surely you jest? That guy is Space Cadet Captain, Pittsburgh Chapter.
Harrisburg Patriot-News is pressing AG Corbett to move ahead with indictments of Republicans.
The base in red part of state may well be disenchanted with Corbett and Corbett gets fewer votes in 2010 than 2008, like Santorum.
http://www.casablancapa.blogspot.com/ Casablancapa has some good commentary. Righteous Republicans need to be embarrassed by the AG's partisan prosecution.
We must move ahead with the indictments of the R's. 2010 is just around the corner and we need to know NOW rather than later who to toss out.
Glad to see you back on here, Tinian!
Wagner changes the whole dynamics for Onorato.
2 SWPA Dems certainly makes things more comfortable for Knox.
Busted link to a 1929 code. Could it have been repealed, amended or otherwise changed in the last 80 years? It sounds like a pretty unwieldy critter that could be used to gum up the works by any partisan AG. I'm sure Janet Reno would've loved to have had in Florida. And then there's the conflict of interest brought up by Ray Horvath.
Besides — it's a moot point. It's now in Federal Court, where Stilp has won and I predict he will continue to win.
I really don't like Green Party stoners, but Corbett got it right on this one:
In July of 2008, the Attorney General of Pennsylvania announced the indictment of 10 legislative employees of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives along with 2 state representatives. All are Democrats who were charged with theft, conspiracy, and conflict of interest for using taxpayer funds for political work. The effort against the Romanelli and Nader candidacies were the most involved enterprises of these employees. Two grand juries continue to investigate this scandal and more arrests are expected. Despite these crimes, the courts continue to encumber Romanelli and his attorney with the fees, but they continue push back in the quest for justice.
Seems like some ppl want to praise/crucify an AG when it serves them. When he's shown the nerve to stand up for the Constitutional Rights of someone like Carl Romanelli, not so much praise.
When it politically suits them, crucifixion all of the time.
Bob, as a lawyer please cite examples when you took advice from a newspaper in a case.
Bob, as a lawyer please cite examples when you took advice from a blog in a case
Do you believe we are now using textbooks as official statute?
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