Metcalfe, Stack have testy exchange
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, and Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mike Stack have exchanged testy public letters during the past several days, after the Philadelphia-area Democrat on Monday declined to participate in a House hearing scrutinizing Stack's spending habits.
Metcalfe, a Republican who chairs the House State Government Committee, had scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to review Stack's spending, which has been a topic of scrutiny and criticism, and invited the lieutenant governor or one of his representatives to attend.
Stack, a Democrat who has also been under heavy scrutiny this year for his allegedly abusive treatment of state employees and the security detail charged with protecting him and his wife, Tonya, declined to participate.
In an open letter to Metcalfe on Monday Stack struck a combative tone, referencing the lack of a plan to pay for the state's $32 billion budget, an anti-discrimination bill he said was being held up in Metcalfe's committee, another bill dealing with legislative redistricting, and a 2015 incident in which Metcalfe was accused by state Democrats of inviting a white supremacist to testify at a hearing on a bill to make English the state's official language.
“I suggest that if you and your colleagues find themselves with idle hours you fill them by applying yourself to your constitutional obligation of passing a final budget and moving out of your committee key pieces of legislation that could indicate your embrace of diversity and acceptance,” Stack's letter reads, in part.
Metcalfe, a conservative firebrand who has tangled regularly with Philadelphia Democrats over issues ranging from gay marriage to so-called “sanctuary cities,” also came under fire from state Democrats last week when the party called on him to resign and said he refused to condemn violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va.
On Tuesday, Metcalfe responded to both Stack and the state Democratic party with a strongly-worded letter of his own, calling assertions that he failed to condemn the Charlottesville violence a “fake news narrative,” and slamming Stack for his “libelous” refusal to participate in Wednesday's hearing.
“Your attack on me with libelous lies ... confirms a lack of integrity in your character and validates the need for further scrutiny of your use of taxpayer resources,” Metcalfe's letter reads, in part.The hearing was set to deal specifically with allegations that Stack had incurred “potentially excessive expenses for groceries and events,” according to Metcalfe's invitation asking Stack to participate. Stack and his staff spent about $37,000 on groceries and $3,000 on beverages since he took office in 2015, according to expense records.Stack, in his letter declining Metcalfe's invitation, said his office is already subject to “thoroughly independent” review by the state's Office of the Budget, and has already responded to more than 100 audit requests since 2015 as well as more than a dozen Right-To-Know requests from newspapers this year.“I can tell you with confidence that no lieutenant governor in modern history has had his or her spending more closely scrutinized than mine,” he wrote, in part.
