“I don’t know what the Commonwealth bound itself to and I don’t know whether the District Attorney of Montgomery County has the authority to bind the Attorney General of Pennsylvania”, Castor said during a press conference.
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Beemer began his career in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office and served in private practice before joining the Attorney General’s Office under Linda Kelly in 2011. He must still get the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. She was convicted of two felony counts of perjury and seven misdemeanor counts of abusing the power of her office.
The former county prosecutor taking over for Pennsylvania’s convicted attorney general is a central figure in the Bill Cosby case, having chosen a decade ago not to charge the entertainer with sex assault and then saying the decision was binding when called to the witness stand this year by Cosby’s lawyers.
But Castor’s tenure as the state’s top law enforcement could be brief.
Castor could technically serve until a newly elected attorney general takes office in January.
Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County commissioners, is on the ballot, opposing Republican nominee John Rafferty, a state senator from Montgomery County.
Wolf recently announced he was nominating the state’s current inspector general for the position, which was formerly held by Kathleen Kane. She also threatened to jail Kane if she retaliated against the once-trusted aides who testified against her.
“I don’t know what’s next, but I do know somebody has told me that your future is always brighter than your past”, Kane said.
He declined to say what personnel moves, if any, he might make if he is confirmed – including whether to keep Castor on the payroll.
In the meantime, the office remains seeded with controversial hires or promotions under Kane. “I believed this when she was charged, and today, after conviction, there should be no question that she should resign immediately”, Wolf said.
Kane’s resignation Wednesday as the state’s attorney general capped a precipitous, unlikely and, unfortunately, self-inflicted downfall.
Wolf hasn’t yet announced any plans to appoint an interim attorney general to replace him.
His internet biographies also have been changed to reflect his new status.
After Wolf’s announcement, Castor sought to put the best face on the situation, suggesting that the governor had no choice but to act.
In a statement, Castor said the governor was fulfilling his duties under the law. However, the law does not require action within any set time.
Under state law, Mr. Castor was sworn in as interim attorney general on Wednesday afternoon, as Ms. Kane’s resignation became effective.
The hiring was a win for both.
Kane claimed she did nothing wrong and has implied the charges were part of an effort to force her out of office because she discovered pornographic emails being exchanged between state employees on state email addresses. He was defeated by Kevin R. Steele, a Democrat, who led the prosecution of Kane.
Castor was handpicked by Kane in March.
Kane, through her lawyer, also surrendered her passport at the county Clerk of Courts Office on Tuesday.
If Beemer is confirmed, he will have the chance to choose his executive team. Before dismissing Kane, the judge expressed her displeasure with Kane, while referring to trial testimony, bellowing that Kane left no one “minding the store” when Kane took a trip to Haiti in April 2014 with several other staffers. Castor also became a target of criticism that he was an extension of Kane, a characterization he has rejected.
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A juror in Kane’s trial, Adam Galasso, said in an interview that Beemer’s testimony was key.
