AG nominee calls for new Legislature probe

More arrests are anticipated in campaign spending investigation.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Democratic nominee for state attorney general said Monday that an independent prosecutor should be appointed to take over the investigation of alleged corruption in the Legislature from Republican incumbent Tom Corbett.

John Morganelli, the Northampton County district attorney, said Corbett has a conflict of interest because of contributions he received for his 2004 campaign from Republican legislative leaders who were in power during the period that is being investigated.

Morganelli also questioned whether Corbett’s office adequately protected evidence in Republican hands while pursuing the first round of charges against House Democrats.

“This investigation has been botched from the beginning,” Morganelli told several dozen people at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon.

A spokesman for Corbett, who is seeking a second four-year term, said his challenger is distorting the facts.

Kevin Harley said there has been no legal authority for appointing a special prosecutor since a law allowing the practice was allowed to expire in 2002. Restoring a similar statute, which Morganelli said Monday that he favors, would require approval by the Legislature.

“He’s asking the exact body that’s under investigation to pass a law so that they can continue to be investigated,” Harley said.

Corbett has returned campaign contributions from legislators that he received since the investigation began early last year, and will not accept any for the rest of the campaign, campaign spokesman Brian Nutt said.

Corbett has said the grand jury investigation into whether taxpayer money was illegally spent on political campaigns is focused on all four caucuses and that more arrests are anticipated. Most other details about the nature and focus of the ongoing probe remain confidential, however.

Agents armed with search warrants raided the House Democratic Office of Legislative Research and seized records in August 2007 because they had probable cause to believe that documents were being destroyed, Harley said.

“Morganelli should know you need probable cause to execute a search warrant,” Harley said in response to Morganelli’s suggestion that the caucuses may be receiving uneven treatment.

House Republican Leader Sam Smith said his caucus has cooperated fully with investigators and reiterated that no data was lost or destroyed when the caucus made a scheduled replacement of its computers last year.

“The hard drives from the desktops have been saved and are currently in storage if they are needed for any reason,” the Jefferson County Republican said in a memo to caucus members Friday.

In July, 12 people associated with the House Democratic caucus, including a former party whip and one sitting legislator, were arrested and charged with conflict of interest, theft and conspiracy.

Morganelli, who would be the first Democratic attorney general since the position became an elective office in 1980, also advocated amending the state constitution to limit the attorney general to one six-year term in office. Currently, attorneys general may serve two consecutive four-year terms.