Kane's sinking ship can't expect lifeline from Clinton
Embattled Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane has thus far spurned various calls for her resignation and instead made it known she’ll seek re-election in 2016.
That won’t happen for a number of reasons.
For one thing, the voters have turned against Kane, who is facing a slew of legal problems as well as fallout from political blunders.
A poll released last week shows that state residents by a 2-to-1 margin say Kane should resign.
Not surprisingly, the Robert Morris University poll shows nearly half of those surveyed don’t know enough about Kane to have an opinion.
Kane spokesman Chuck Ardo — the eighth spokesman since Kane took office in 2013 — says poll numbers and public opinion can change, which is true.
But a rebound for Kane is unlikely, given her challenges:
• A grand jury’s recommendation of perjury, obstruction of justice and other criminal charges for alleged leaks of grand jury material to the Philadelphia Daily News last year, and then lying about it.
• Her refusal to prosecute Philadelphia lawmakers who were caught taking cash in an undercover sting. Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams later brought charges in the sting case, and the third of four defendants, all of whom are black Democrats, pleaded guilty last week. Williams, who is black and a Democrat, criticized Kane for calling the investigation racist.
• Kane fired senior deputy prosecutor James Barker after Barker testified before a grand jury about the alleged grand jury leaks — even though Barker was under a judge’s protective order against retaliation for his testimony.
• Her highly visible investigation of her predecessor, Tom Corbett’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal turned up no evidence of wrongdoing by Corbett. Kane made statements distorting the testimony and status of witnesses in the case.
• Kane was widely criticized for her refusal to defend the state’s law rejecting gay marriage when the law was challenged in court.
• Her new chief of staff, Jonathan Duecker, was appointed even after Kane’s own HR staff recommended firing Duecker over allegations of sexual harassment. Kane reportedly refused to consider firing Duecker.
Analysts say Kane could conceivably overcome these trials and win re-election, particularly if no criminal charges are filed.
But an even bigger cloud hovers at Kane’s political horizon: Hillary Clinton.
Kane worked diligently for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. Clinton returned the favor and backed Kane in 2012.
Now, Clinton continues her claim to the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, but she’s fighting off potential political scandals of her own.
Clinton won’t have the patience to help bail out Kane’s sinking ship, since she’s busy keeping her own afloat. What’s more important to Clinton is an endorsement from the vaunted Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, which endorsed Kane in 2012 but since has suggested she step aside, at least until the criminal investigation against her is completed.
Clinton also might covet backing from another Kane enemy — Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, who has successfully prosecuted the corruption cases that Kane rejected as tainted and “unprosecutable.” Williams managed a third guilty plea last week from Democratic state-level politicians.
Clinton won’t seek the help of both Kane and Williams. That’s not how the political game is played. Rather, it’s about the number of votes your endorsement can deliver — and the recent polling numbers indicate that Kane can’t deliver many.
