A Montgomery County jury found her guilty of charges related to the leak of secret grand jury materials to embarrass professional rivals.
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FILE – In this November 18, 2015, file photo, Pennsylvania First Deputy Attorney General Bruce Beemer, left, speaks during a state Senate committee hearing in Harrisburg, Pa.
If confirmed as Attorney General, Beemer will resume his role as Inspector General upon completion of his service as Attorney General. Castor had said he would not serve as a rubber-stamp for Kane’s policies and that he would work to restore the integrity of the office.
Leaders across the political spectrum, even those within her own party encouraged her to resign – including Gov. Tom Wolf – something Kane should have done long ago.
“Bruce Beemer has a depth of experience, he has the respect of the employees of the Office of the Attorney General, and I have no doubt that he will make this transition seamless and smooth”, Wolf said Thursday, in a written statement.
While the Senate is not scheduled to return from its current recess until late September, the two leaders – Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati – hinted that they might ask members to return earlier to vote on the nomination.
The Governor announced Thursday he wants Bruce Beemer, a Clark Summit native and University of Scranton graduate, to fill out the term of Kane who stepped down from office on Wednesday.
Beemer, 47, took on some of the office’s major legal decisions and openly clashed with Kane over the agency’s operations after the state Supreme Court suspended her law license last fall. He then rose to become her top deputy upon Mr. Beemer’s departure.
The judge also ordered Kane not to retaliate against any witnesses who testified against her at trial, warning Kane her bail would be revoked and she’d be jailed if she disobeys the order. “Until then, we will maintain the status quo addressing pressing matters ordinarily handled by our office only”. He will serve as attorney general until January, when the next elected attorney general will take office. “(Beemer) will provide strong leadership, and working with the good men and women of the AG’s office, (Beemer) will be able to get things back on the right track”.
He also discussed whether Joshua Morrow, a key witness for the prosecution against Kane, could be prosecuted for lying to the statewide investigating grand jury, despite being granted immunity.
Montgomery County Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy on Tuesday set Kane’s sentencing hearing for 10 a.m. October 24, giving county probation officials time to complete drug, alcohol and psychological evaluations of Kane.
The district attorney-elect ended up filing a felony sex assault charge against Cosby, the married comic once known as “America’s Dad” for his portrayal of Dr. Cliff Huxtable on his top-ranked 1980s TV show.
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Castor said he had agreed not to prosecute Cosby if the entertainer testified in a civil case brought by his accuser.
