Report: Flub on sex-abuse vote not deliberate
HARRISBURG — An internal investigation into an apparent bureaucratic blunder by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's administration that scuttled a statewide voter referendum sought by victims of childhood sexual abuse found no evidence of a deliberate attempt to derail it.
The Office of Inspector General's report, released Wednesday, said agents interviewed 22 current and former state employees and reviewed the email accounts of nine state officials for any evidence of outside influence or intentional acts.
Rather, it said, Wolf's Department of State — which oversees elections and professional licensing and has about 500 employees — had no executive office, bureau or executive staff member responsible for overseeing internal processes for constitutional amendments.
The referendum was to be on whether to give victims of childhood sexual abuse a fresh opportunity to sue their abusers and complicit institutions, a proposal propelled by damning investigative reports in 2016 and 2018 on Pennsylvania's Roman Catholic dioceses.
The mistake has sparked outrage in the community of childhood sexual abuse survivors. Some questioned anew Wednesday how it was possible that the Department of State had successfully advertised other proposed constitutional amendments.
“One can't help but think, 'Was this a political assassination?'” said Mike McDonnell, 52, who has told of being sexually abused by a Roman Catholic priest in his suburban Philadelphia parish. “A survivor can't help but think that this was purposely done.”
The Associated Press does not name survivors of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly.
