Special prosecutor in legislative corruption scandal unwarranted

The Associated Press reported Monday that the Democratic nominee
for Pennsylvania state attorney general, John Morganelli, has
called for appointment of a special prosecutor to take over the
legislative corruption investigation launched by the incumbent
AG Tom Corbett a Republican. Morganelli is currently district
attorney in Northhampton county.

So far in the wide-ranging investigation. a grand jury has indicted
eight sitting legislators, one former legislator and three staff
members linked to them, all Democrats. Corbett has publicly stated
that the investation is on-going, that Republican legislators and
staff are also targets, and that more arrests are pending.
It was reported last week by the Harrisburg Patriot-News that Corbett
has begun interviewing Republican legislative staff as part of
the on-going investigation.

Although Corbett bungled the felony case against former State Rep.
Linda Bebko-Jones, D-Erie, recently who plea bargained down
charges that she forged signatures on her reelection petition
see August 25 post, Justice perverted), it would be a huge mistake to
hand over his ongoing investigation on legislative corruption
to a special investigator.

As pointed out in the AP article, that would require reenactment
of an expired law authorizing appointment of a special prosecutor.

More importantly, it would effectively put the investigation of
legislative corruption into the hands of the legislature,
currently controlled by Democrats. The result would be the
fox guarding the chicken coop.

While Republican Corbett has so far failed to produce any information
linking fellow Republicans in the legislature to the biggest legislative
corruption scandal in the commonwealth's history as promised, unless
and until there's credible eveidence that Corbett's not being evenhanded,
he should be free to pursue the investigation unfettered.