More Sting Charges Expected
The “double-dog dare” continues to backfire on Kathleen Kane.
Nearly a year after the attorney general invited Philadelphia D.A. Seth Williams — one of her loudest critics — to try to prosecute the “abandoned sting” of corrupt Philly lawmakers she had decided not to prosecute, despite having recordings of those lawmakers accepting gifts that were never reported to the state. Williams gleefully accepted the offer and not long after started cranking out the prosecutions.
He’ll add three more names to that list today at a news conference where he’ll announce charges against “two current and one former” state representatives. He did not name them, but the Inquirer and Daily News identified the three as State Reps. Louise Williams Bishop and Michelle Brownlee and former State Rep. Harold James, all Democrats from Philly.
The Inky reports that “investigative reports” indicate James took a $750 campaign contribution from an undercover informant; and that Bishop took $1,500 while Brownlee took $2,000.
Today’s charges will be just the latest since Williams took the case from Kane. “Two current Democratic state representatives from Philadelphia, Ron Waters and Vanessa Lowery Brown, were charged by Williams’ office in December with bribery, conspiracy and other offenses. They have waived a preliminary hearing,” AP reminds us. “Another target of the same investigation, former Philadelphia Traffic Court Judge Thomasine Tynes, pleaded guilty three months ago to conflict of interest.”
