Pennsylvania’s attorney general showed little emotion Monday night as she was convicted of leaking grand jury secrets and lying about it under oath.
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The declaration came during an about a 60-minute closing argument in which Steele carefully laid out the prosecution’s case that was built upon testimony of key witnesses – political consultant Joshua Morrow and Adrian King, Kane’s former first deputy.
“This is war”, Steele began his closing, reciting a comment Kane made in an email she sent shortly after the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story on the legislator case on March 16, 2014.
“These are two witnesses who will say whatever they need to protect themselves”, Farber argued. “You would not even buy a used vehicle from either one of them”. Steele highlighted numerous texts and telephone conversations between the attorney general and Morrow that the prosecutor said pointed to Kane’s guilt.
The Daily News article was published June 6, 2014.
King testified last week that Morrow and Kane were trying to frame him.
She was angry about a negative newspaper article and wanted to get back at the person she felt was responsible for it.
The leak grew out of Kane’s feud with former office prosecutor Frank Fina, he said.
Prosecutors alleged Kane orchestrated the illegal release of secret materials to a reporter in order to exact “revenge” on a former state prosecutor with whom she was feuding. Kane did not testify in her own defense.
Kane, who was the first woman and Democrat elected to serve as the state’s attorney general, was seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. But an early honeymoon period in office, when she spoke out for the legalization of gay marriage, was soon marred by turmoil as she sparred with officials inside and outside the office. She has vowed to appeal. Over the years, however, court decisions have allowed officials to remain in office until sentencing. She faces up to seven years in prison on the felony perjury charge.
A Montgomery County jury convicted Kane of perjury, false swearing, obstruction, conspiracy, and official oppression.
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“She knew it was wrong, she knew it was against the law, and she didn’t care”. However, she is not running for re-election this fall and leaves office in January. Ernie Preate pleaded guilty to a charge of mail fraud involving campaign contributions and resigned in 1995.
