After Kane’s conviction, numerous state legislators and Gov. Tom Wolf called upon Kane to resign, as did Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro, a fellow Democrat, who is running to replace Kane in November’s election. She was convicted of two felony counts of perjury and seven misdemeanor counts of abusing the power of her office.
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The First Deputy Attorney General, Bruce Castor Jr., will be filling in until a new Attorney General is appointed or elected this fall.
The state Senate’s Republican majority leaders had threatened a vote to order her removal from office under a constitutional provision never used in modern history. Governor Wolf wants the state senate to confirm him as Kane’s replacement to serve until the next Attorney General elected in November takes office in January.
Beemer is now Pennsylvania’s Inspector General, but served under Kane prior to that in the Attorney General’s office.
She talked with members of the media before heading inside to her office on Wednesday.
Instead, Kane dragged the state through an expensive and embarrassing tenure, of which her resignation was likely the most appropriate step taken.
In its verdict, the jury found that AG Kane lied under oath about her involvement in the leak of grand jury information related to a former prosecutor, and that she also lied about whether she had signed an oath to keep grand jury information confidential.
While Beemer was promoted into the top lieutenant’s job under Kane, he later clashed publicly with her and provided testimony that helped prosecutors convict her.
Earlier in the day, he issued a news release referring to himself as “attorney general”, dropping the acting or interim qualifier.
Bruce Castor was First Deputy Attorney General under Kane.
Castor is Kane’s top deputy and the next in line to succeed the embattled official.
Castor, 54, is a former Republican district attorney from Montgomery County.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Castor said Kane barred him from following her trial to avoid any perception that he may be retaliating against staff cooperating with prosecutors.
However long he remains state attorney general, though, Castor would not have a role in the Cosby case, which is being handled by county prosecutors.
“It’s very hard for me to be told what to do”, Castor said.
FILE – In this December 7, 2015, file photo, Pennsylvania First Deputy Attorney General Bruce Beemer leaves a hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. The email scandal ultimately precipitated the resignations of several high-profile state officials, including two state Supreme Court justices.
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Even a former Kane supporter, Northumberland County Democratic Chairman Rodger Babnew, said last week’s four-day trial surfaced disappointing details about Kane’s conduct.
