Report: Lynne Abraham Interested in A.G. Job

Kathleen Kane, left. Lynne Abraham, Right.

Former Philadelphia D.A. Lynne Abraham is reportedly interested in replacing Attorney General Kathleen Kane if Kane is forced to give up her seat while she faces criminal charges for leaking grand jury material.

“According to a source with knowledge of the situation,” PoliticsPA reports, “Abraham believes she can be an effective placeholder until Jan. 2017. Several of the people she worked with in Philly are now in the AG’s office and she briefly considered a run back in 2012. PoliticsPA has also learned that Abraham has secured the commitment of Congressman, and Philadelphia Democratic Party Chair, Bob Brady.”

Abraham was not immediately available to comment, nor was a spokesperson for Brady.

There are obstacles, PoliticsPA acknowledges: Abraham can be a controversial figure, for one. For another, her mayoral campaign last spring may have been irrevocably wounded when she fainted onstage at a televised debate.

For all that, she’s in better political shape than Kane, who was arraigned on charges over the weekend — she got a mug shot and everything — and who faces a growing chorus of voices to resign.

The Reading Eagle: “Some of Kane’s fellow Democrats, including Gov. Tom Wolf, called on her to resign in the wake of the announcement. Indeed, that would be the proper thing for her to do. We already had called for Kane to at least take a leave of absence from her post while she was under investigation, but now that she is under indictment, the best thing she could do for the commonwealth is step down altogether.”

The Mercury News: “State Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-Dauphin/Perry counties, thanked Kane for her service and praised her performance, but added that ‘when the Commonwealth’s top law enforcement officer is charged with crimes that go to the very heart of the fair and impartial administration of justice, that individual must resign immediately.’ Teplitz went on to ‘wish her the best as she deals with this serious issue,’ but added, ‘in the meantime, the public interest must come first.’”

The Times Herald: “But for the sake of her office, and for the sake of the commonwealth, she should heed Gov. Tom Wolf’s call for her to resign. It just doesn’t look good that the state’s chief law enforcement officer is doing her job while facing criminal charges herself. She said in a statement that a resignation would be an admission of guilt and that she is innocent. It wouldn’t be. It would be an admission that defending yourself on criminal charges would hamper your ability to do your job most effectively.”

Kane faces a preliminary hearing on August 24th.

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