“I have been honored to serve the people of Pennsylvania and I wish them health and safety in all their days”, said Kane, a Democrat.
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Her announcement came amid calls for her to step down, and as lawmakers prepared to force her from the office, with a $158,764 a year salary. She was convicted on Monday night on nine charges related to leaking grand jury information to a reporter and then lying about is under oath.
“Tomorrow, Pennsylvania can finally begin to move forward from this shameful chapter in its history”, Gleason said.
The two years of turmoil in her office left Kane isolated in Pennsylvania’s political, legal and law enforcement community.
“As I have made clear, I do not believe Kathleen Kane should be Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”.
Wolf said his office will consult with members of the Senate about a potential replacement.
Under state law, Mr. Castor was sworn in as interim attorney general on Wednesday afternoon, as Ms. Kane’s resignation became effective.
Kane hired Castor in March.
Beemer served as Kane’s first deputy and testified against her last week in the criminal trial that prompted her resignation. Kane’s lawyers also complained that the judge had not allowed them to argue in court that the investigation had been propelled by former state prosecutors anxious that Kane would reveal their raunchy, pornographic interoffice emails she had discovered on the office’s services.
Kane showed little emotion as the verdict was announced.
Kane had already announced her decision not to seek re-election this fall. State Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery County, and Montgomery County Commission Chairman Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, are running to replace her.
“With the nature of the charges against here, it would be totally inappropriate for her to remain in office”, he said.
“That would be for a judge to decide”.
Not long after that testimony, Kane tapped Castor as her second-in-command.
Morrow said at the time he was trying to protect her. That law was eventually overturned by a federal court.
“I liked her, I thought she could go places”, he said. By law, the first deputy attorney general becomes acting attorney general should the office become vacant.
Kane’s office issued a two-sentence statement saying she would resign at the end of the workday Wednesday. [Photo by Bradley C. Bower/AP Images] She blamed her political rival for a critical news report that blamed her for shutting down an undercover investigation involving corrupt Democratic representatives.
Kane had the material sent to a reporter through chief deputy Adrian King and Morrow.
Kane’s criticism of the Sandusky case had triggered a bitter feud with the investigators who handled the case, and prosecutors say she suspected they had leaked the unflattering story to the Inquirer.
Castor has said he had promised not to charge Cosby a decade ago when he investigated a former Temple University employee’s claim the entertainer had molested her at his home.
Several officials, including two state Supreme Court justices, lost their jobs in the wake of the email scandal, dubbed “Porngate”. At least 60 people working for the attorney general were reprimanded.
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Had she not resigned, the House could have voted to impeach Kane, compelling the Senate to put her on trial.
