Metcalfe seeks to impeach Kane
HARRISBURG — State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Cranberry Township said he plans to introduce legislation to impeach state Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
In a memo circulated Monday to each member of the state House of Representatives, Metcalfe said he plans on pursuing Kane's impeachment because of her “public declaration” that she would not defend the state in a federal lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania's 1996 law that bans gay marriage.
Metcalfe, R-12th, added that Kane has created a “constitutional crisis by refusing to perform her assigned role and usurping the role of the courts.”
“It is our duty to stop her from engaging in further misbehavior in office,” Metcalfe said in the memo.
He circulated the memo to seek co-sponsors for articles of impeachment. He said Kane, a Democrat, has violated her constitutional, statutory and ethical duties.
At issue are Kane's opinion that the state's gay marriage prohibition is not constitutional and her decision to delegate defense of that law to Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. The litigation is in federal court in Harrisburg.
Despite Metcalfe's strong words and statement, Kane made it clear Tuesday that she won't be intimidated by the lawmaker or his “loud, arrogant and misguided claims.”
“The citizens of this great Commonwealth should be revolted that a politician such as Rep. Metcalfe is attempting to thwart an independent attorney general from doing her job by using such a measure,” Kane said in a statement. “I have never been afraid of or backed down from bullies.”
Kane said Metcalfe is wasting time and “battling me because I had the gall to run for office, win and serve Pennsylvania as an independent watchdog.”Furthermore, Kane claimed it is “unfortunate and embarrassing” that Metcalfe has “such limited knowledge of the laws” of Pennsylvania and added that she has done no wrong.“While Rep. Metcalfe pretends to understand the legal implications of my actions and others around the state, he could not be more misguided,” Kane said. “I do not believe he cares about facts or the law.”Kane added, “I will never be deterred by selfish rants of those who want Pennsylvania to belong to the few.”Metcalfe said late Tuesday that one member of the 203-seat state House has indicated support for the impeachment effort.In a brief interview in his Capitol office, Metcalfe said, “I think this lady thinks she can continue to run a campaign instead of acting like an attorney general.”According to the state constitution, the House must first vote for impeachment before it heads to the Senate.If it gets that far, the Senate would hold a trial where two-thirds of its members present would have to vote for impeachment.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
